LAHORE: Pakistan’s cotton revival requires reducing the approval process for imported varieties from the existing seven years to 12-24 months, researchers and seed industry experts said on Wednesday, warning that lengthy regulatory procedures are delaying access to high-yielding germplasm.

They called for an urgent review of the existing approval mechanism to identify mandatory tests, eliminate or shorten unnecessary stages and conduct compatible trials simultaneously without compromising biosecurity and biosafety safeguards.

A fast-track system could enable seed companies to introduce promising imported cotton varieties and hybrids by 2028, subject to regulatory approval, said Shahzad Ali Malik, CEO of Guard Agricultural Research & Services.

Under the existing procedure, imported cotton seed takes about seven years to secure approval – one year of biosecurity screening, two years of biosafety trials, one year of company trials, two years of National Uniform Yield Trials and another year for the final approval process.

The industry has proposed replacing one-season biosecurity screening at a registered post entry quarantine facility with laboratory testing for specified seed-borne diseases, potentially reducing that stage from six months to 15 days.

It has further proposed conducting biosafety and National Uniform Yield Trials simultaneously for one season instead of two, followed by a one-month process for compiling trial data and a decision by the Variety Evaluation Committee.

Mr Malik said the purpose was to examine each step in the seven-year process and determine which could be compressed into a 12-24-month framework without weakening scientific safeguards.

The proposal would require amendments to the Plant Quarantine Rules, 2019 and coordination among relevant regulatory bodies, including the National Agri-trade and Food Safety Authority, Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, Pakistan Central Cotton Committee, National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority and provincial seed councils.

Researchers also identified pest risk analysis (PRA) as a major bottleneck in importing research seed and other regulated agricultural material.

The Department of Plant Protection has initiated PRA arrangements with 11 cotton-producing countries, with progress with China considered particularly important for ongoing research collaboration. Researchers urged the department to complete the assessments and expedite import permits submitted through the Pakistan Single Window.

The programme has a broader target of testing 25 to 50 promising foreign varieties. Of the material currently identified, eight varieties are from Ethiopia, five from Greece and 11 from China, bringing the identified total to 24. Two Pakistan-specific varieties developed through several years of research are also being pursued for further evaluation.

Researchers said Chinese material was particularly promising because of its longer staple length and suitability for hot and arid conditions. The programme involves collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Pakistani research institutions.

Mr Malik said the aim was to bring in as much useful international germplasm as possible for testing under Pakistani conditions. Controlled biosecurity work is being carried out in a dedicated glasshouse facility.

Researchers said Pakistan could also examine the experience of hybrid rice and maize, where imported seed technologies had contributed to higher yields, as a possible model for accelerating cotton revival. They stressed that cotton was not merely an agricultural crop but a key input for Pakistan’s textile industry, linking farmers with ginners, spinners, weavers, processors and garment manufacturers. Cottonseed also supports the edible-oil industry.

They called for greater involvement of Aptma and the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) in research so that new varieties addressed textile quality requirements and problems such as contamination and impurities in local cotton.

The researchers proposed a joint effort by Aptma, PCGA and the seed industry to pursue regulatory amendments, expedite PRA arrangements and help move promising varieties more quickly from research and trials to farmers.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2026