Seed body laments hindrances in procurement
Fears it could trigger shortage of certified wheat seeds for future sowing seasons
LAHORE:
The Seed Association of Pakistan (SAP) has said that unlawful hindrances created by Punjab Food Department in procuring certified wheat seeds could possibly trigger a shortage for future sowing seasons.
“This crisis will have an adverse impact on production of wheat, which is a strategically important crop of Pakistan,” SAP said in a statement on Thursday. According to it, officials from the Punjab Food Department and district governments were not only restricting seed companies from procurement of certified wheat seed but also confiscating their shipments.
Monsanto among 204 seed companies to lose licences in Pakistan
Business
April 18, 2021
LAHORE: Pakistan is about to cancel registration of 204 seed companies including multinationals for noncompliance with the local laws, it was learnt on Saturday.
In compliance of section 22 (B) (8) of Seed Amendment Act, 2015 and Rule (5) of seed (Business Regulation) Rules, 2016, a total of 204 seed companies have been identified for cancellation of registration, according to a notification issued by the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD).
The under-question companies include multinationals like Pioneer, Syngenta, and Monsanto while most of them are located in the province of Punjab. This is the second such move in recent months in which registration of seed companies have been cancelled on various counts. Earlier in January, the federal government cancelled licenses of more than 200 seed companies for noncomplying with the laws under a revised regulatory framew
SAHIWAL: The local chapter of the Seed Association of Pakistan (SAP) has shown strong reservations about proposed changes to the federal seed certification laws for providing space to multinational seed companies to operate in provinces.
It demanded the strict enforcement of the actual federal seed certification law, which provided a mechanism for foreign seed multinational firms to obey protocols listed for introduction of any new seed, both hybrid or genetically modified, at the local level.
Talking to the media here on Friday, Saleem Bari, the senior executive member of the Seed Association of Pakistan, demanded the federal government refrain from making such changes to the seed enforcement laws and regulations as might compromise the level-playing field for all seed companies.
HYDERABAD: Office bearers of the Association of All Sindh Seeds (AASS) have urged the federal government not to decentralise seed component as provinces are already overburdened and can damage this important component of the agriculture sector.
Speaking at a press conference at local press club on Sunday, the association’s president Nadeem Shah, general secretary Nawaz Nizamani and others said that they, the growers from Sindh, also owned seed companies as after 18th Amendment the agriculture sector was decentralised, but the federal government still retained some components of agriculture like food security and seed.
They said that seed component was governed by the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD), but the federal government wanted to hand over this component to all the provinces.