ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to merge the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD) with the National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority (NSDRA), to be housed under the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R).
The Ministry of National Food Security and Research informed the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) that the National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority, functioning under its administrative control, is the principal regulatory body for Pakistan’s seed sector.
The Authority was established under the Seed (Amendment) Act, 2024, and is mandated to regulate seed quality standards, certification processes, variety registration, and overall governance of the seed industry to ensure the availability of quality seed and promote sustainable agricultural development.
READ MORE: No regulatory standards: NSDRA board orders closure of 392 seed cos
The CCLC was further apprised that the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department is an attached department of MNFS&R, established under the Seed Act, 1976.
The Department serves as the principal federal authority for seed certification, plant variety registration, and regulation of seed quality standards. Through systematic field inspections, laboratory testing, and regulatory enforcement, FSC&RD ensures the availability of high-quality, genetically pure, and disease-free seed.
By implementing the provisions of the Seed Act and its subsequent amendments, the Department has played a vital role in enhancing agricultural productivity, protecting farmers’ interests, and strengthening national food security.
The MNFS&R further informed the CCLC that the Federal Cabinet, in its meeting on January 1, 2025, while considering the rightsizing of FSC&RD, decided to “merge it with NSDRA (to be housed in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research) and operate it as a lean, digitalized entity well integrated with the Pakistan Single Window (PSW).
Only essential technical resources will be retained, while all remaining and vacant posts will be abolished, with a minimum reduction of 50 percent.”
Regarding the merger, the Ministry prepared a draft bill to amend the Seed Act, 1976, which was shared with the Ministry of Law and Justice in accordance with Rules 14(4) and 27 of the Rules of Business, 1973.
The Ministry of Law and Justice vetted the draft amendment bill, and the final draft of the Seed (Amendment) Act, 2025 was placed before the CCLC for consideration.
In view of the above, MNFS&R proposed further amendments to the Seed Act, 1976 to assign the functions of FSC&RD to NSDRA, in line with the Federal Cabinet’s directives, and sought approval of the final draft of the Seed (Amendment) Act, 2025.
On January 22, 2026, the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases considered the summary dated January 2, 2026, submitted by MNFS&R regarding the merger of FSC&RD with NSDRA, and approved the proposal, subject to the condition that the amendments suggested by the CCLC would be incorporated in the draft bill by the Law and Justice Division before it is placed before the Federal Cabinet for final approval.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.