Cultivation area of high-yield hybrid rice likely to increase

High yielding hybrid rice area is going to cross 50 percent in three years from present 25 to 30 percent paddy coverage, said Shahzad Ali Malik, Chief Executive Officer of Guard Rice Research & Services Pvt Ltd at a function here the other day.
"All efforts of introducing hybrid rice seed in Pakistan are being commanded by national seed companies mainly in collaboration of Chinese leader in research & development with 'Guard Agri' having the lion's share. Several multinational seed companies tried to introduce hybrid rice seed but failed to outperform national seed companies. Their varieties were less rewarding for farmers due to lack of jump in production while seed cost was also high if compared with what local seed companies were offering", Shahzad Ali Malik divulged to members of Agriculture Journalists Association (AJA).
Malik, who is founding President of Seed Association of Pakistan (SAP) and ex-president of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) and also former chief of Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), said that with untiring efforts of local scientists, the role of private sector in seed research and development is increasing day by day.
In total rice hybridization, around 90 percent area of long-grain paddy is in Sindh province while 10 percent in South Punjab. As aromatic basmati rice if first choice for farmers in Punjab, coarse varieties area is still low. However, with production of hybrid rice seed in central Punjab, paddy area in Punjab is likely to increase significantly in coming years, he observed.
The major factor behind success of national seed companies in large-scale acceptance of rice hybrid seed has been development of heat-resistance and drought-tolerant varieties; he said and added that multinational seed companies had varieties that could not perform well in harsh summer weather of Sindh and Southern Punjab.
Hence, Malik said, the long-grain hybrid rice that substituted IRRI-6 in coastal belt and central Sindh is a major success as its export market is rapidly evolving in the favour of farmers and exporters.