Daily Times

Chairman Pakistan Hi-Tech Hybrid Seed Association (PHHSA) Shahzad Ali Malik Thursday urged the farmers to use ultra-modern Chinese agricultural technologies for getting bumper crop production to make Pakistan self-sufficient in food.

In a statement issued here today he said cultivators must acquaint themselves with new technologies like mechanised direct-seeded rice (DSR) which saved sufficient quantum of water by 50pc and labor ranges from 13-37pc. He said DSR is technically and economically feasible, eco-friendly alternative to conventional puddled transplanted rice. He said development of new rice varieties for direct seeding along with proper management practices can help in adoption of DSR.

He said seed priming technology can help to get rid of the problem of poor establishment of crop and can be further improved. He said Pakistan is among top ten producers of rice in the world and contribute around eightpc to world rice trade. He feared that non availability of timely supply of water and power will affect the target of 8.6m tons of rice set by the federal committee on agriculture.

Shahzad Ali Malik urged the rice growers to sow the best quality hi tech hybrid seeds for better yield to export for earning maximum profitability. He said China during first quarter of last fiscal year imported more than 601.575 tons of different varieties of rice worth more than $255.52m from Pakistan. He said Chinese technology helped Pakistan increase yield in rice processing and maintain quality. He said exports of rice to China is increasing substantially every year. He said broken rice are also in great demand in Chinese markets.

He said 53 Pakistani rice enterprises are on approval list of China’s General Administration of Customs and it would further boost local exports of rice.