“Seed Quality Dilemma in Agriculture: A News Update” | (कृषि: बीज गुणवत्ता संबंधी दुविधा – समाचार पत्र )

Main Points In Hindi (मुख्य बातें – हिंदी में)

1. पाकिस्तान की गेहूं उत्पादन पर निर्भरता: पाकिस्तान की अर्थव्यवस्था और खाद्य सुरक्षा गेहूं पर बहुत हद तक निर्भर है, जिसकी उत्पादन में वृद्धि की आवश्यकता निरंतर बढ़ रही है। हर साल उत्पादकता 1.8 प्रतिशत की दर से बढ़ रही है।

2. सिंध प्रांत में प्रमाणित बीज की कमी: सिंध, जो प्रमुख गेहूं उत्पादक प्रांत है, में किसानों को प्रमाणित गेहूं के बीज की उपलब्धता में कठिनाइयों का सामना करना पड़ रहा है, जिसके कारण उत्पादकता में कमी आ रही है।

3. प्रमाणित बीजों की मांग और आपूर्ति का अंतर: पाकिस्तान में प्रमाणित गेहूं बीज की राष्ट्रीय आवश्यकता 1.1 मिलियन मीट्रिक टन प्रतिवर्ष है, जबकि वर्तमान में इस आवश्यकता को पूरा करने के लिए उपलब्ध बीज का हिस्सा आधे से भी कम है। सिंध में केवल 25-35 प्रतिशत गेहूं के बीज प्रमाणित हैं।

4. बीज वितरण नेटवर्क की कमी: सिंध में बीज वितरण नेटवर्क और उच्च गुणवत्ता वाले बीजों के उत्पादन की कमी है, जिससे किसान प्रमाणित बीज प्राप्त करने में संघर्ष कर रहे हैं। इससे छोटे किसानों पर नकारात्मक प्रभाव पड़ रहा है, क्योंकि प्रमाणित बीज महंगे होते हैं।

5. गुणवत्ता नियंत्रण में विसंगतियाँ: बीज प्रमाणीकरण की प्रक्रिया में विसंगतियाँ हैं और नियमों का सही तरीके से पालन नहीं किया जाता, जिससे किसानों को घटिया बीजों का सामना करना पड़ता है और उनकी फसल का प्रदर्शन खराब होता है।

Main Points In English(मुख्य बातें – अंग्रेज़ी में)

Here are the main points summarized from the text regarding wheat production and challenges in Pakistan, particularly in the Sindh province:

1. Dependence on Wheat for Food Security: Pakistan’s economy and food security largely depend on wheat as a staple crop. There is a growing need to enhance wheat production to feed the increasing population, which has been expanding at a rate of 1.8 percent annually.

2. Challenges in Certified Seed Availability: Farmers in Sindh face significant difficulties in accessing certified wheat seeds. These seeds are crucial for improving yield, disease resistance, and overall agricultural productivity due to their strict quality control standards.

3. Productivity Impact: The lack of access to certified seeds has resulted in reduced productivity levels, with a reported decrease of approximately 10-15 tons per acre. Many farmers rely on borrowing seeds and are largely dependent on local dealers, leading to a focus on low-quality seeds.

4. Discrepancy in Seed Supply: The demand for certified wheat seeds exceeds availability, with a gap exceeding 50 percent. Pakistan’s estimated annual requirement for certified seeds is around 1.1 million metric tons, but the country struggles to meet this need, producing less than half from approved sources.

5. Need for Collaborative Solutions: The issues of inadequate certified seed distribution, high production costs, and quality control discrepancies require a collaborative effort between the government, private sector, and agricultural extension agencies to ensure that farmers in Sindh have access to the necessary certified seeds to boost their yields and livelihoods.

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Complete News In Hindi(पूरी खबर – हिंदी में)

Complete News In English(पूरी खबर – अंग्रेज़ी में)

Pakistan’s economy and food security heavily rely on wheat, one of the country’s main crops. With the population growing at a rate of 1.8% each year, there is an increasing need to boost wheat production through improved productivity.

Sindh, a major wheat-producing province, has historically made significant contributions to the country’s wheat yield. However, farmers in Sindh face challenges in accessing certified wheat seeds.

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Certified seeds enhance crop yield, disease resistance, and overall agricultural productivity. They are developed under strict quality control to ensure purity, germination rates, and disease-free status, resulting in high-quality crops that improve food security and farmers’ income. Despite their benefits, many farmers in Sindh struggle to obtain certified seeds, leading to lower productivity.

According to progressive farmers, using certified seeds can increase productivity by about 10-15 tons per acre. Farmers often state that they could manage seeds from their two-acre plots for reuse in the next season but generally avoid doing so, as they find it easier to grow their own quality seeds. Small farmers largely depend on input dealers for seed, limiting their focus on obtaining high-quality seeds.

The gap between the demand and availability of certified seeds has consistently exceeded 50%, contributing to lower wheat yields, particularly in Sindh.

Recent estimates suggest that Pakistan requires approximately 1.1 million metric tons of certified wheat seeds annually. However, the country struggles to meet this need, with less than half of the total wheat seed requirements being sourced from approved seed origins.

Data from the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department shows that, over the past eight years, only 39-47% of certified wheat seeds have been available from official sources. The remainder is either saved by farmers or obtained from other farmers, intermediaries, or local shops, where the source of the variety is often unknown.

The improvement in the availability of certified seeds over the last decade has been minimal, ranging from 39% to 47%, with the gap between demand and supply remaining above 50%. The majority of certified seeds (31-42%) come from the private sector.

The situation in Sindh is more dire. According to survey reports, only 25-35% of the wheat seeds grown in the province are certified; the rest are uncertified or saved by farmers. The lack of certified seed availability is a significant factor in the lower wheat yields in Sindh compared to other wheat-growing regions in Pakistan.

An insufficient distribution network for certified seeds, inadequate production of high-quality seeds, and practical barriers further limit the province’s seed supply. Farmers, particularly in rural areas, struggle to obtain certified wheat seeds, and when they can, these seeds are often more expensive than uncertified options, making them unaffordable for small-scale farmers.

Only a small portion of the required seeds is produced by the formal seed industry, which includes both government and private seed corporations. This low volume contributes to high costs, resulting in a dependence on uncertified or saved seeds, which are often of lower quality and yield.

Discrepancies in quality control affect Sindh’s seed certification process. Although there are regulations governing seed certification, they are not strictly enforced. Incidents of seed contamination have occurred, with certified seeds being mixed with uncertified or inferior seeds, leading to poorer crop performance for farmers.

To address these issues, the government, private sector, and agricultural extension agencies must collaborate to ensure that farmers in Sindh have access to the certified seeds necessary to enhance their productivity and livelihoods.

Dr. Aslam Memon is the Director at PARC-Social Science Research Institute, Tandojam, and Dr. Muhammad Ismail Kumbhar is a Professor at Sindh Agricultural University, Tandojam.

This article was published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, on November 18, 2024.

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