Sindh Agricultural University (SAU) has decided to set up a wheat seed expansion field in the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) at Sakrand. The decision was taken in a ceremony when officials from SAU and CCRI met to discuss the provision of certified seeds to the farmers of Sindh. In the same meeting a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed to the same end.

According to the spokesperson of the SAU, officials of SAU have already started work on the expansion of 30-acre wheat experimental field in the CCRI so that certified seeds could then be provided to the farmers of Sindh after testing. During the ceremony, Vice Chancellor of SAU Dr Fateh Marri said that farmers in Sindh could not increase their per acre yield because of a lack of certified seeds.

He said that floods in 2022 have badly affected the agriculture sector of the province and that wheat production target will be difficult to achieve. “This increases the importance of certified seeds, since in the next season there will be a shortage of traditional seeds because of less wheat output this season,” he said.

He stressed on the higher education and research institutes to play their role in reviving the agriculture sector of the country so that agricultural productivity could be increased to fight food insecurity in the country. He lauded the efforts of SAU officials in carrying out the research work in the wheat seed expansion field using modern methods. He informed that the expansion field has also been visited by experts from China and Turkiye who appreciated the experimental work of SAU management.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk