LAHORE Pakistan Hi Tech Hybrid Seeds Association (PHHSA) Chairman Shahzad Ali Malik Sunday said Pakistan can attain food self-sufficiency by bringing entire arable land under plough with exclusive use of certified best quality seed preferably hi tech hybrid seed.
Talking to a delegation of progressive farmers led by Chaudhary Shoukat Ali Arain, he said Pakistan has potential to offset the impending threat of food insecurity hovering around in the wake of Russia-Ukraine conflict by offering a basket of incentives to farmers for cultivation of arable land and use of hi tech hybrid seeds and certified approved varsities of seeds will promise better yield through transparent results oriented management at grassroots level across the country.
He said “ we were directly affected by the Ukraine conflict. And it led to the shortage of wheat and fertilisers that we used to import from Ukraine. Pakistan was scrambling to get things right but catastrophic flood worsened the situation. Agriculture was important not only for food security but also brought about $4.4 billion through exports. That’s why it has been setback for Pakistan”.
Shahzad Ali Malik Sitara-I-Imtiaz said in an international ranking of the Global Hunger Index (GHI) last year, Pakistan ranked 92 out of 116 nations, with its hunger categorised as ‘serious. He said prevailing scenario of global uncertainty we should focus on promotion of agriculture sector and all kinds of non certified seed varieties must be banned permanently. He said use of hi tech hybrid seeds and approved varieties of seeds guarantee bumper crops in the country meeting ever increasing food staple needs of population explosion.
He said Hybrid seeds are easier and faster to grow, adapt better to stress, and produce plants with larger fruit, higher yields, disease resistance, and longer shelf life than heirlooms. He said we should bear in mind that as the war in Ukraine compounds with other crises, its impacts are revealing major weaknesses in global food and energy systems. Food insecurity was already on the rise before the outbreak of the war, with an estimated 44 million people at the brink of famine due to COVID-19, climate change and conflict, he added.
He said in view of prevailing scenario of global uncertainty, government must focus on the promotion of agriculture sector on modern scientific lines as it is backbone of national economy.
He said Guard Agriculture Research and services Division is already working on fast track to develop another more new varieties of hi tech hybrid rice seeds with the collaboration of Chinese leading company” Yuan Longping” which he added will bring revolution in agriculture sector, he concluded.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023