Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan has to increase the usage of quality hybrid seed to save its agriculture from total destruction. Maize and Rice, out of the total five big crops of the country, are the only two crops which are not only meeting the domestic requirements but also being exported to fetch the much desired foreign exchange. Pakistan was expecting rice production during the current season around 9.2-0.5 million metric tons. However, recent heavy monsoon rains and floods have destroyed 30 per cent of the rice crop especially in Sindh. Pakistan Hi-Tech Hybrid Seed Association (PHHSA) Chairman Shahzad Ali Malik stated this while talking to media persons here on Thursday on the occasion of first-ever Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association. He regretted that white gold (cotton) is facing very serious situation as Pakistan has to spend a lot of precious foreign exchange on its import to meet the domestic requirement and to fuel the biggest industrial and exporting sector of the country. He called for increasing the use of hi-tech hybrid seed for revival of agriculture in the country. While addressing the members, Shahzad Ali Malik said that their association is still at infancy stage having 102 members but they are striving to push this number to 150 at the earliest. He assured the participants to raise the issue of seed at every level for resolving issues faced by the seed industry. He also handed over a cheque of Rs 4 million to Al-Khidmat association and announced to donate another Rs 1 million for KPK as donation by the Association for helping the flood hit persons in Sindh and flood hit farmers in KPK through PARC. Senior Vice Chairman PHHSA Shafiq ur Rehman in his address stressed the need for strong lobbying by the association members to get their issues resolved. He said seed is a federal subject even the agriculture has been devolved to the provinces after 18th amendment. Members on this occasion also raised the issue of free movement of wheat seed which was hindering their efforts to produce quality seed for the next crop. REAP representative Pir Nazim Hussain Shah, Sajjad Sulaiman Malik and various others also attended the meeting on this occasion.
