Rice Variety Evaluation Committee (VEC) recently held a meeting with the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) headquarters in Islamabad. Speaking to the participants, the Chairman of PARC, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali appreciated the role of private and public in the interest of rice research and development in the country.
Emphasizing the importance of quality seeds to increase farmers’ productivity and productivity, he appreciated the role of research institutes and seed companies in providing quality seeds to rice farmers in Pakistan. PARC National Coordinator Dr Muhammad Yusuf briefed the committee members on the thirty-eight proposals for rice hybrids/varieties.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Food Security and National Research, Federal Seed Certification, national and multinational seed companies, and rice scientists from provincial and federal research institutes.
After extensive discussion, WEC recommended 08 high yielding rice hybrids from private seed companies for cultivation in Pakistan. PARC’s National Institute of Genomics and Biotechnology (NIGAB) has introduced four high-yielding rice varieties with 23-24% higher yields than existing varieties, which have also been approved by the VEC for cultivation in Pakistan.
In addition, the meeting recommended the cultivation of long wheat (9mm) Sandal Bar Basmati developed by Pindi Bhattian of VEC Soil Salinity Research Institute and two varieties of rice from Kala Shah Kaku and Rice Program, Rice Research Institute, NARC. , Islamabad. The introduction of these varieties and hybrids is expected to increase the productivity and profitability of farmers.
Dr Imtiaz Hussain, Member, Department of Plant Sciences, PARC, chairperson of WEC expressed confidence that the release of these high-yielding rice varieties will increase paddy productivity in the country. He also stated that PARC intends to support public and private sector institutions and seed companies in evaluating and releasing rice hybrids and varieties. Dr. Waseem ul Hassan, MNFSR Food Security Commission, appreciated the efforts of rice scientists in Pakistan to release high-yielding hybrids and varieties of rice.
