Experts warn of food insecurity

Call for public-private partnerships to tackle agricultural challenges

DIJKOT:

Agricultural experts have sounded the alarm over deepening food insecurity crises, emphasising the critical need for quality seeds on farms.

They underscored the necessity of ensuring access to resilient seeds, capable of withstanding climate change and other agricultural challenges, through public-private partnerships for common farmers.

Speaking at the third Pakistan Seed Congress themed "Seed Invocation for Transforming Agriculture," hosted at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security, c (UAF), experts inaugurated the Seed Exhibition.

UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan highlighted the country's annual import of $10 billion worth of agricultural products.

He emphasized the success of the hybrid seed technology model in enhancing corn production and advocated for its application in other crops to overcome stagnation.

Khan pointed out that while wheat production per acre stands at 30 maunds, progressive farmers are achieving yields of 60 to 70 maunds, with the introduction of soybeans, climate-resistant wheat, high-yielding sugarcane, cotton, and other commodities by UAF.

Chairperson of the National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority, Dr Asif Ali, proposed increasing wheat production from 30 to 50 maunds per acre, which could reduce the current 9 million hectares of wheat cultivation to 6.5 million hectares, allowing for diversification into other crops.

He stressed the importance of public-private partnerships for the production and delivery of quality seeds, citing India's success in cotton production due to hybrid seeds.

UAF Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean of Agriculture Dr Muhammad Sarwar Khan, emphasized the pivotal role of quality seeds in ensuring high production.

He announced the establishment of the Seed Centre at the university, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, which will include model seed research and outreach stations in Balochistan and Upper Punjab.

Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department Director General, Mohammad Azim Khan, emphasised the need for joint efforts to catch up in hybrid seed technology, while Dr Irfan Afzal stressed the importance of academia-industry linkages and innovation in agriculture.

Fiona Hay, a senior researcher from Denmark's Aarhus University, shared scientific insights on seed moisture content, underlining the importance of knowledge-based economies and public-private models for agricultural prosperity.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2024.