KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that his government was making all out effort to provide quality certified seed of improved varieties to the growers at affordable price to improve per acre yield.
This he said while presiding over a meeting of Sindh Seed Corporation (SSC) here, said a statement on Thursday.
The meeting was attended by Senior Minister for Finance Syed Murad Ali Shah, Minister for Agriculture Ali Nawaz Maher, chief secretary Siddique Memon, Principal Secretary to CM Alamuddin Bullo, Secretary Agriculture Shahid Gulzar Shaikh, Managing Director SSC Dr Iqbal Saeed and others.
Shahid Gulzar Shaikh briefing the chief minister said that there were eight basic seed farms of SSC. They include 2898 acres Lodra (Shikarpur district) Farm, 372 acre Pai Sakrand (Nawabshah) Farm, 1041 acre Setharja (Khairpur) Farm, 122 acre Kotdiji (Khairpur) farm, 1474 acre Ghotki Fram, 112.27 acre Ruk (Ghotki) farm, 100 ace Sangi (Sukkur) farm and 110 acre Lakhi (Shikarpur) farm.
The Managing Director SSC Dr Iqbal Saeed said that different seed varieties have been provided to growers. The wheat varieties provided so far are TD-I, Kiran 95, Imdad 05, SKD-I and Benazir. IR -3701 of cotton and two varieties of paddy, Irri-6 and KS-282, he added.
He pointed out that during the last four years (2011-2015) Rs 140.266 million have been spent on all the eight farms for developing seed varieties against which Rs 286.448 million were earned.
Similarly, Rs507.484 were spent on the marketing of the seed against which Rs638.004 million income was generated. In other words during the said period the SSC utilized Rs647.751 million against which an income of Rs924.452 million was generated. The net profit has been calculated at Rs276.701 million.
The CM Sindh appreciated the efforts of the SSC and urged them to grow such seed verities which not only get less water but survive in flood situation.
Manila and Thailand have developed such varieties of rice which survive in flood situation. The seedling of such rice verities survive even after remaining in water for eight days, the chief minister quoted.
The Secretary Agriculture said that there were Rs 443.767 million liabilities against SSC which include Hesco and Sesco bills, repair and maintenance of seed processing plants, damages sustained at Lodra and Ghotki farms due to heavy flood of 2010.
The CM Sindh directed the chief secretary Siddique Memon to look into the issues of SSC and give him report so that required funds could be released to improve its performance and clear its liabilities.
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