Daily Times

Chairman Pakistan Hi Tech Hybrid Seeds Association ( PHHSA) Shahzad Ali Malik Sunday said Pakistan can attain food autarky by bringing entire arable land under plough with exclusive use of certified best quality seed preferably hi-tech hybrid seed for record bumper crops production in the country.

Talking to a delegation of progressive farmers from Mamukanjan district Faisalabad led by Chaudhary Shoukat Ali Arain, he said Pakistan has the 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. The use of hi-tech hybrid seeds and certified approved varsities of seeds will promise better yield through transparent results-oriented management at the grassroots level across the country.

Pakistan was scrambling to get things right but a catastrophic flood worsened the situation, he said adding that agriculture was important not only for food security but also brought about $4.4 billion through exports.

Shahzad Ali said in prevailing scenario of global uncertainty we should focus on the promotion of the 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.

He said in view of prevailing scenario of global uncertainty, the government must focus on the promotion of the agriculture sector on modern scientific lines as it is the backbone of the national economy.