LAHORE: Governor Punjab Engr Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman has appointed Chairman of Pakistan Hi Tech Hybrid Seed Association (PHHSA) Shahzad Ali Malik as chairman of the sub-committee on rice assigning the task of proposing a viable result-oriented long-term strategy for boosting rice production in the country.

Shahzad Ali Malik in a statement here on Saturday expressed his gratitude to the Governor for reposing trust in him and assigning the task to tailor a feasible plan for developing new Hitech hybrid rice seeds in the private sector.

Malik said Chinese breeding technology was helping Pak farmers to easily cultivate high-yield, disease-resistant new rice varieties for exports. He said Chinese enterprises and research institutes evolved new varieties of seeds and introduced excellent cultivation techniques to help farmers which boosted rice production in Pakistan and finally exported to China.

Shahzad Ali Malik, who is also founder chairman of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) said both countries have close cooperation in the agriculture sector which was showing positive results, especially in high-yielding rice varieties.

He said PHHSA was the only entity in the private sector which was conducting ultra-modern research in evolving hi-tech hybrid seeds in Pakistan with the sole objective of extending a helping hand to the government for boosting agricultural production and meeting ever-increasing food staples needs of the growing population explosion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023