Daily Times

KARACHI: On better grade yielding domestically of hybrid level, import of all type of vegetable seeds has witnessed 5 percent decline during July 2016 to May 2017, importers said.

However, import of tomato seed increased by 10 percent to Rs 300 million during July-May 2017.

The import of most of the vegetable seeds from Europe, USA, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and India has registered more than 5 percent decline to Rs 245 million.

The representatives of All Pakistan Vegetable Seed Merchant Trade Association (APVSMTA) said decline in import duty on some of the seeds and on better grade yielding domestically of hybrid level, import of all type of vegetable seeds remained low.

The importers have called for rationalising duty on import of okra seeds in order to bring high cost of vegetable in local market, said Zeeshan Aghai of Awaz Enterprise.

Our farmers and growers are now becoming aware of hybrid sowing and germination facilities and better yield due to improving expertise besides sufficient use of land is also an edge in this regard, Aghai said.

The decline in imports of seeds is result of use of local manufactured seeds and the consumption of vegetables mainly in lower and lower middle class segment has gone up to around 45 percent in all four provinces.

On double digit inflation and high meat prices and rising utility bills cost etc the growers preferred to sow domestic seeds that has also increased the number of vegetable consumers, he added.

The market prices of vegetables have also registered an increase of 15 percent to 20 percent, he added.

More than 40 percent of the imports of pea seeds are made from USA and 15 percent from India. Some 5 percent import of pea seed is also made from New Zealand. Around 45 percent seeds are germinated in the country, mostly in Toba Tek Singh in Punjab, which is up to the universal standards.

“If Ministry of Commerce reconsider to rationalise duty on okra seeds import, the domestic prices of the vegetable would come down to almost two third, he added.

More than 40 percent import of radish seeds are made from Japan and Korea, seeds of white turnip with purple top from Denmark, cauliflower and tomato seeds from Holland and France, lettuce leafs and cucumber seeds from Denmark and bell pepper (capsicum) seeds from Denmark and other countries.

Imports are also made from China but they import are not in plenty due to standard of seeds.

Some imported seeds also germinated and hybrid at local level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Sindh especially in winter for fruiting. This is known as greenhouse or glasshouse effect process for sowing the sapling.

Ahsan Ahmad, a wholesale dealer in Empress Market said domestic seeds cater around 57 percent of vegetable needs while imports cater around 35 food needs of the country.

Our agriculture research centres were working to produce better grade of seeds but due to lack of trained professionals that could not maintain F-1 vegetable seeds in the country, thus we are spending money on imports. The tomato seed import covers around 65 percent of the total vegetable seed import in the country, Holland and India are the major exporting countries.

In Faisalabad, growers are producing quality tomato seed but it only caters around 5 percent of the growers demand in the country, he added.

Ahmad said imports of vegetable seeds cater around 85 food needs of the country and our agriculture research centers were not well equipped.