IN view of the weaknesses in Pakistan’s seed industry, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, at the request of the government, has launched a project to improve coordination and collaboration among key players of the sector.

According to FAO officials, there was a shortage of trained human resources, especially against the backdrop of challenges of emerging technologies and needs of a reformed seed sector after amendments to the Seed Act of 1976 and enactment of Plant Breeders’ Rights law. Under these circumstances, the FAO launched the project at the request of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

Under the technical cooperation programme, the UN organisation will build capacity of the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department to facilitate seed and plant supply industry regulations, and help stakeholders to enhance their technical capacity.

The enhanced capacity-building of seed certification and registration department will help in carrying out Distinct, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) tests to support effective variety protection under Plant Breeders’ Rights Act of 2016.

The project will also result in improving coordination and collaboration among key players of the seed sector, and facilitating inclusive value chain for wheat, rice, cotton and pluses and other crops to achieve increased availability of quality seeds.

In the early 80s, the first private sector seed company was allowed to start seed business while greater participation of private companies in the seed business was observed in 90s and 2000s. Major amendments to the Seed Act of 1976 were made during 2015 to give greater role to the private sector and enhance its scope in order to meet emerging needs of the seed industry.

Pakistan has also enacted Plant Breeders’ Rights Act 2016 to ensure protection of crop varieties and promoting investment in development of new crop varieties by both the public and private sectors.

The FAO project entails formalising working arrangements with the stakeholders by focusing trainings in the identified areas of early generation seed production, DUS evaluation and seed certification and seed testing.

The project through capacity-building of the federal department as well as research institutes and public and private seed sector entities would achieve increased crops’ yield through enhanced access to improved crop varieties and quality seed.

International seed sector expert Dr Dennis Thompson, who recently visited Pakistan for a dialogue on the project activity, emphasised to create greater sense of community within the broader body of stakeholders and heighten the collective realisation that a formative opportunity is available to public and private sectors of Pakistan through the project.

A more functional certification system can provide enhanced value to domestic industry participants and can instil greater confidence in the nation’s seed production on a regional basis. Developing a vibrant and competitive industry (as opposed to a collection of competitive companies) can best serve stakeholders. Collaboration, not competition, between private and public sector stakeholders will be required to achieve the highest level of industry development, he said.

Salman Mahmood Khan, a former chairman of the Seed Association of Pakistan, says the country has a well-developed seed regulatory framework at federal level which needs to be further strengthened.

At a stage when the Seed Act of 1976 has been amended to meet the requirement of the seed sector and Plant Breeders’ Rights Act of 2016 stands enacted, any changes or shifting roles and functions from federal to provinces would be unfair and counterproductive, he argues.

The Punjab agricultural research department feels that strengthening Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department and its capacity-building along with other participants of the seed sector is imperative for developing modern seed industry in the country.

The provincial agricultural research system would be actively participating in the project capacity-building activities and would extend support by providing necessary human resources in conducting various training programmes, says Director-General of Agricultural Research Dr Abid Mahmood.

Chairman of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council Dr Yusuf Zafar believes that the importance of political will and government support for meaningful development needs to be mobilised in support of the agricultural sector. Since the implementation of the devolution of agriculture has adversely affected the overall performance of the sector, the government has to rescue the agriculture sector, which has a major contribution towards ensuring food security and economic progress of the country, he says.

Various working groups were formed for the launch of the project. One of the groups came up with the recommendation that foundation seed cells at public sector research institute and private sector seed companies should be created to handle early generation seed production. These cells should have strong linkages with the federal department to ensure total quality management at all levels across the value chain.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, July 24th, 2017