The Sindh Agriculture Department has failed to amend the Seed Act, 1976 and many other provincial acts despite passage of more than four months after the devolution of the Federal Agriculture Ministry, it was learnt. The agriculture department has to establish Provincial Seed Council, Seed Certification Agency, Registration Agency and other institutions with the approval of amended acts of the federal government from Sindh Assembly but it failed to do so.
After devolution of the federal agriculture and food ministry, the Sindh agriculture department has amended two acts of the federal government regarding seed and fertiliser, which had been sent to the law department for further process, sources said. It is worth mentioning here that after the passage of 18th amendment, the federal government had transferred 17 federal ministries to provinces in three phases.
After the approval of the Seed Act, 1976, the agriculture department will establish Sindh Seed Council under the chairmanship of provincial minister for agriculture for performance of such functions as may be entrusted to it under this act, sources informed.
The functions of the Sindh Seed Council shall be to advise on policy for the development, operation and regulation of the provincial seed industries, to maintain a watch on the operation of the provisions of this act, to guide in administrating seed quality control service, to direct initiation of provincial seed projects, to ensure and protect investment in the seed industry, to approve and sanction seed standards, to advise on import of seeds and to assist in developing approved seed production farms, sources said.
Besides, the agriculture department will establish Provincial Seed Certification Agency to control the quality of seeds, to register growers in such a manner and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed, certification of seeds, field inspection of the crops of registered and released varieties, intended for sale as basic seed or certified seed and other issues, sources added.
The agriculture department would establish provincial Registration Agency for performance of such functions like conducting pre-registration, checking of varieties submitted for the purpose, determining suitability for registration as a variety, providing definitive botanical description of crop varieties and providing information on genetic suitability and adaptability of varieties, sources said.
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