HYDERABAD (January 30 2004): To provide quality seeds of major crops to farmers, a Foundation Seed Cell (FSC) has started operation in Tando Adam.

The FSC is spread over around 245 acres of land. It has brought 220 acres land under cotton cultivation to produce basic and pre-basic seeds of cotton, which will be supplied to progressive growers and seed companies for cultivation to produce certified seed.

At present, 12 seeds companies are registered with the FSC.

While inaugurating the FSC, director-general of Agriculture Research and Extension said that the seed foundation was established to provide seeds of cotton crop, Niab-78.

In Sindh, Niab-78 is cultivated on around 80 percent of the total area under cotton crop cultivation and needs around 250000 maunds seed to meet its area target.

Since, Punjab had banned the cultivation of Niab-78, most of the Punjab based seed companies are purchasing Niab-78 from Sindh, and later, marketing the same seed to growers of Sindh to meet their requirements.

Now, the Sindh government is considering to ban import of Niab-78 seed from Punjab and planned to produce its own cotton seed under the name of Sindh Niab-78, developed from the source and not from certified seed.

He said the FSC has also developed various varieties of wheat seed for further multiplication by private sector to meet the seed requirement of the province.

While speaking on the occasion, FSC director Abdul Majeed said the foundation lacks ginning and seed processing facilities and it has approached the government to provide such facilities.

He said once these facilities were provided and land of agriculture department place at the disposal of the foundation, it will solve problems of seed in the province.

Courtesy Business Recorder