High-yielding hybrid rice will increase to 50 percent of the total area planted with paddy in the next three years, from the current range of 25 percent to 30 percent. This will increase the output by 2 million tons, says Guard Rice Research and Services CEO Shahzad Ali Malik.
Plantation of hybrid rice seeds in Pakistan is being spearheaded by national seed companies, mainly in collaboration with the Chinese firm Guard Agri.
Malik, who was founding president of the Seed Association of Pakistan and ex-president of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan, says with efforts of local scientists, the role of the private sector in seed research and development grows day by day.
In hybrid rice, around 90 percent of the area planted with the long-grain seed lies in Sindh, while the remaining 10 percent is cultivated in south Punjab.
Source: The Express Tribune
