Agri experts emphasize need of joint MoU for growth of certified seeds.

HYDERABAD -- The Experts emphasized a joint MoU among agricultural institutions and the local and Chinese private sectors for the growth of certified seeds and new seed commodities in Sindh and demanded to increase in the research budget for the development of agriculture.

To access the demand for pure seeds, the experts also suggested that apart from government institutions experimental fields may be set up on farmers' lands.

This was stated at a "First Farmers Field Day" which was organized by the Seed Production and Development Center (SPDC) of Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Agriculture Research Sindh and UBL, on Sunday.

Addressing the occasion, Vice Chancellor Dr Fateh Marri said during independence in 1947, war conditions in 1971 and economic problems in the present era, agriculture is the only sector due to which we are dealing with food and economic crisis, although, in terms of production per acre, we are still far behind the developing countries, while there is a need to increase the budget for agricultural research by 20%, to get positive results,

'We along with the provincial agriculture department and its subsidiaries are producing seeds of wheat and other crops in Sakrand, Setharja, Mirpurkhas and Kotdiji and started joint research work in this regard,' he added.

Director General, Agriculture Research Sindh (ARS) Noor Muhammad Baloch said 13 new varieties have been introduced by ARI, while our institution, Nuclear Institute of Agriculture (NIA), SAU and Sindh Seed Corporation are also working with the private sector for seed expansion.

He said even now we are suffering from more than 40% seed deficiency in wheat alone, so the non-standardization of seed, fertilizer and agricultural pesticides coming from other areas is harming the agriculture of Sindh.

Ashfaq Ahmed Memon, former secretary and assistant to the chief minister for irrigation said 70% of the population of farmers in Sindh is illiterate, which the agriculture of the province is still running according to the traditional system, so technology is...