TOBA TEK SINGH: The Toba police checked each vehicle at interchanges on both motorways M-3 and M-4 at Rajana and on Jhang Road on Monday to prevent farmers from going to Lahore to participate in a protest demonstration by wheat growers condemning the government’s failure to purchase their produce.

Some vans carrying farmers were disallowed from using the motorways, and Pirmahal police raided the house of Kissan Ittehad district president Mumtaz Daultana on Monday morning and arrested him.

UAF: Agricultural experts have warned of a deepening crisis of food insecurity if quality seed is not ensured in farms.

It is imperative to bring quality seeds, resilient against climate change and other challenges, to the doorsteps of common farmers through public-private partnerships.

This was stated by speakers at the third Pakistan Seed Congress, themed “Seed Invocation for Transforming Agriculture” at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security at the University of Agriculture of Faisalabad (UAF) on Monday.

UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that every year, the country imports $10 billion worth of agricultural products. He said the hybrid seed technology increased corn production and suggested adopting modern trends to break the stagnation in other crops.

He said that while wheat production per acre is limited to 30 maunds, progressive farmers are achieving 60 to 70 maunds, and the UAF is introducing soybeans, climate-resistant wheat, high-yielding sugarcane, cotton, and other commodities to boost agricultural prosperity.

National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority Chairman Dr Asif Ali said that increasing wheat production from 30 to 50 maunds per acre could reduce the current nine million hectares of wheat cultivation to 6.5 million hectares, allowing the remaining 2.5 million hectares to be used for other crops. He said public-private partnerships should be promoted to ensure the production and delivery of quality seeds.

He said due to hybrid seed, India is getting 31.8 million bales of cotton while Pakistan is getting up to 8.35 million bales. He said that all possible measures are being taken to prepare quality seeds and deliver them to the farmers under the seed authority.

Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Sarwar Khan said that quality seeds ensure high production and announced the establishment of a seed centre at the UAF with the cooperation of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. He highlighted the need for viable and innovative trends to break the stagnation in crop production, mentioning two new varieties of sugarcane developed by UAF as potential milestones in improving farmers’ economic conditions.

Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department Director General Mohammad Azim Khan urged joint efforts to catch up in hybrid seed technology, while Dr Irfan Afzal called for strengthened academia-industry linkages, knowledge-based economies, and innovation in agriculture.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2024