DLP Report
PESHAWAR
The 47th meeting of the Provincial Seed Council on Wednesday approved 19 new seed varieties of fruits, vegetables, cereals, oilseed crops and pulses for cultivation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as the provincial government reiterated its commitment to strengthening agricultural research and ensuring the availability of high-yielding, climate-resilient seeds.
The meeting was chaired by the Adviser to the Chief Minister on Agriculture and Chairman of the Provincial Seed Council, Mian Muhammad Umar. It reviewed matters relating to the provision of quality seeds, approval of new crop varieties and promotion of agricultural research in the province.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Agriculture Dr Muhammad Bakhtiar Khan, Director General Agricultural Research Dr Abdul Rauf, Director General Agricultural Extension Dr Naveed Khan and other members of the Provincial Seed Council.
Addressing the participants, Mr Umar said quality seed was the cornerstone of higher agricultural productivity and improved farm incomes. He said the provincial government was giving special attention to agricultural research, the promotion of modern technologies and the development of climate-resilient crop varieties.
He urged agricultural scientists to develop superior seed varieties capable of increasing yields while helping farmers cope with the challenges posed by climate change.
The council was informed that under the Federal Seed Act, 1976, it is empowered to approve new crop varieties for cultivation in the province, regulate the introduction of ineffective or harmful varieties, permit inter-provincial commercial production and deal with other seed-related matters.
After detailed deliberations, the council approved 19 new varieties developed by agricultural research institutions, national agricultural research organisations and universities.
The approved fruit varieties include Blackberry, Apricot and CastleBrite Apricot. In the vegetable category, the council approved Pea Farhat-2025 and Onion NARC-1.
Among cereal crops, the approved varieties are PARC Oat, Fakhr-e-Tarnab Wheat, Abdul Bari-2024 Wheat, Dosti-2024 Wheat, Ishaq-2025 Wheat, Qaid-2026 Wheat, NARC-2 Maize, NIGAB-25 Rice, NARC-25 Rice and PARC-25 Rice.
For oilseed crops and pulses, the council approved Sunflower NARC-SUN-2020, Soybean NIBGE-Soy-3, Canola IBGE-Canola and Groundnut NARC-2021 for cultivation in the province.
Mr Umar said the provincial government would continue to provide all possible support to strengthen the capacity of agricultural research institutions and promote modern agricultural research aimed at enhancing food security and increasing farmers’ incomes.
