November 09, 2007	Friday	Shawwal 27, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Nov 8: The use of uncertified seeds by farmers, particularly in Sindh, is likely to affect the wheat production in the country this year.

About 90 per cent of wheat seeds sown in Sindh and 80 per cent in Punjab are uncertified, sources told Dawn.

The sources said the federal ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) was not satisfied with the provincial agriculture extension services which had not succeeded in educating the farmers to use quality seeds.

The government has fixed the wheat production target for this Rabi season at 24 million tonnes.

In a number of meetings, Minfal had conveyed its apprehensions to the Sindh agriculture extension services about the almost non-existent culture of certified seed sowing in the province, the sources said.

A Minfal official, who did not want to be named, said the ministry was not satisfied with the utilisation of 50 seed-graders by the Sindh agriculture extension services. The extension services had totally failed to inform farmers about the availability of seed-graders at the district level, he said. He said that the extension services were under the jurisdiction of the provincial food departments and Minfal had no direct control over them.