Pakistan’s economy and food security heavily rely on wheat, one of the nation’s main crops. There is a growing need to expand wheat production through productivity increases to feed the population, growing at 1.8 per cent each year.

As one of the principal wheat-producing provinces, Sindh has always made a substantial contribution to the country’s wheat production. However, farmers in Sindh have continued to face difficulties with the availability of certified wheat seeds.

Certified seeds increase crop yields, disease resistance, and agricultural production. Certified wheat seeds have been developed under strict quality control standards to ensure purity, germination rate, and disease-free status. They deliver higher-quality crops, improving food security and farmer incomes. Despite their value, many farmers in Sindh have difficulty getting certified wheat seeds, resulting in poor productivity.

According to progressive farmers, it increases productivity by approximately 10-15 mounds per acre. The farmers claimed: “They can arrange their own seeds by sowing them on a two-acre piece of land and then use it in the next season but usually avoid it. Farmers can easily multiply their own quality seeds.” Small farmers mostly depend on input dealers to buy seeds on credit. So, they mostly rely on the seeds they provide. They cannot pay so much attention to quality seed.

The gap between certified seed demand and availability has consistently exceeded 50pc, lowering wheat yields, especially in Sindh

According to recent estimates, Pakistan’s national requirement for certified wheat seed is approximately 1.1 million metric tonnes annually. However, the country is struggling to meet this need, with approved seed sources accounting for less than half of overall wheat seed requirements.

According to data from the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department, over the last eight years, 39-47pc of certified wheat seed has been available from official sources. The remaining seed is either saved by farmers or acquired from other farmers, middlemen, or village shops (see table), where the variety source is typically unknown.

The availability of certified seeds has not improved much over the past decade, ranging between 39pc and 47pc; the gap between the requirement and availability has consistently been over 50pc. The majority of certified seed (31–42pc) comes from the private sector.

In Sindh, the situation is much direr. According to survey reports, only 25-35pc of wheat seeds grown in the province are certified, with the rest being uncertified or farmer-saved seeds. The shortfall in certified seed availability is a major factor contributing to lower wheat yields in Sindh compared to other wheat-growing regions in Pakistan.

An inadequate certified seed distribution network, insufficient production of high-quality seeds, and logistical constraints further limit the province’s seed supply. Farmers, particularly those in rural locations, struggle to obtain certified wheat seed, and when they can, the seeds are usually more expensive than uncertified alternatives, making them unaffordable to small-scale farmers.

Only a small portion of the required seed is produced by the formal seed industry, which includes both government and private seed corporations — the low volume contributes to the high cost. This results in a significant dependence on uncertified or farm-saved seeds, which are frequently of lesser quality and produce lower yields.

Inconsistencies in quality control afflict Sindh’s seed certification procedure. Although rules governing seed certification exist, they are not strictly enforced. There have been cases of seed adulteration, in which approved seeds have been mixed with uncertified or inferior seeds, and farmers experience low crop performance as a result of this quality compromise.

The government, the private sector, and agricultural extension agencies must work together to address these problems and make sure Sindh’s farmers have access to the certified seeds they require to increase their yields and livelihoods.

Dr Aslam Memon is director of PARC-Social Sciences Research Institute, Tandojam and Dr Muhammad Ismail Kumbhar is a professor at Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, November 18th, 2024