According to a report prepared by the federal food security ministry’s committee on agriculture, there are only 513,000 metric tonnes of standard wheat seeds available in the country. Sharing statistics, officials also revealed that only 20% to 25% of seeds available in the market were obtained from authorised sources. The bulk of the country’s seed supply is concentrated in Punjab, which also accounts for much of the demand. They also complained that compared to private seed companies, the government agencies concerned have a rather poor seed delivery and promotion mechanism. “Research institutes are not to blame for the wheat seed crisis.

Source: The Express Tribune November 17, 2020 04:07 UTC