The Punjab government is evolving a strategy to control the sale of substandard seed of different crops and take action against the seed companies selling seed which does not meet germination standards.
Effective implementation of Seed Act and other relevant laws would be ensured for this purpose, a senior official of Punjab Agriculture Department told APP here on Sunday. He said that above 65 percent germination is must for standard seed of cotton and other crops.
Some seed companies in the private sector are charging higher rates for sale of seed but do not pay their full attention towards quality and standard, he said. He said that without good quality seed the farming sector can neither be developed nor can be made profitable for the farmers which ultimately means no growth in this sector.
Agriculture sector is of core importance in economy of the country, he added. He called it unfortunate that traditional farmers either do not have money to purchase good quality seed or lack interest which result in poor production.