Pakistan-based Seed Company, Punjab Seed, and Enterprise to be found among the 24 leading seed companies in South and Southeast Asia according to the international testimony commissioned by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Netherlands government.
Out of the 24 foremost seed companies in Asia, 21 have a existence in Pakistan, but only two companies have a breeding station and production activities in Pakistan.
Pakistani five seed companies are doing great one of them, Four Brothers Group, has its own breeding programme, while 3 have seed production activities.
Only three companies initiate to provide farmer training in Pakistan to help farmers to adopt new technologies and to adapt their agricultural practices to new realities, caused by climate change.
Due to less interest of international companies in local seed business activities in Pakistan, the national seed sector does not benefit from these kinds of investment, in distinction to other countries like India, Thailand or the Philippines.
It was encouraging to see that so many companies had a presence in Pakistan to sell seeds. However, it is surprising that so few companies of them invest in local seed business activities such as breeding and production or local training activities.
Increasing yields, tackling climate change challenges and reducing environmental impact of agriculture it can be tackled only in a one kick that all starts with the seeds farmer make use of.
Pakistan should investigate why mainstream of companies abstain from investing in Pakistan. However, it’s the fact that Pakistan is not a member of the international plant variety protection treaty (UPOV) and being not a member of international bodies might be a reason to flourish ahead.
The Pakistan seed industry has been progressively growing with 21 new groups of actors entering the market since 2008. Moreover, Pakistan signed a deal with the Philippines for the export of hybrid rice seed in the first part of 2017, which could generate higher revenue for the country in the coming years.