By Ahmed Mukhtar Naqshbandi
ISLAMABAD: Chairman of Pakistan Hi Tech Hybrid Seeds Association (PHHSA) Shahzad Ali Malik has said that Pakistan could attain food security by bringing entire arable land under plough with exclusive use of the certified best quality seed, preferably hi-tech hybrid for record bumper crops production in the country.
Speaking to a group of progressive farmers led by Chaudhary Shoukat Ali Arain from Mamukanjan district Faisalabad, Shahzad said Pakistan has the potential to minimize the impending threat of food insecurity hovering around in the wake of the Ukraine-Russia war by offering a basket of incentives to the farmers for cultivation of arable land in Pakistan.
Certified seeds will ensure food security
Malik said “Using certified approved varieties of seeds and hi-tech Hybrid will ensure better yield through transparent results-oriented management at the grassroots level in the country.
He said that We were scrambling to get things better. Still, a catastrophic flood worsened the situation, and agriculture was crucial not only for food needs but also brought about $4.4 billion through exports.
Shahzad Ali stated in the prevailing scenario of global uncertainty, “We should focus on promoting the agriculture sector, and we must ban all forms of non-certified seed varieties permanently.
He said that the hi-tech hybrid seeds and approved seed varieties guarantee superb crops in the country, meeting the ever-increasing food needs of the population explosion in the country.
He said that Hybrid seeds are faster and easier to grow, adapt better to stress, and produce higher yields, plants with larger fruit, disease resistance, and longer shelf life than heirlooms. He said we should remember that as the war in Ukraine compounds with other global crises, its impacts reveal significant weaknesses in global food and energy systems.
He said that given the prevailing scenario of global uncertainty, the government must focus on promoting the agriculture sector on scientific modern lines as it is the backbone of the nation’s economy.
