The Government of Pakistan had launched a three years high quality seed production project in Azad Jammu and Kashmir with the total cost of Rs 37 million and under this project four laboratories had been established in Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas.
This was stated by Project In-charge of Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSCARD) Dr Abdul Rauf while visiting Seed testing laboratory at Mirpur AJK on Monday. AJK Secretary Agriculture Aizaz Naseem and other high officials of the department were also present.
Dr Rauf said the territory of Azad Kashmir was suitable for the cultivation of maize, potato and vegetables and seed production due to its special climate. He observed that testing laboratories and quality services of agriculture experts had been provided to public and private sector in Azad Jammu and Kashmir for growing high quality seed and testing of crops, to assert its quality and examining of disease.
He said the farmers were being imparted training on modern lines as to grow the world class seed in AJK, saying that monitoring system service was also being provided for import and export of quality seeds.
Dr Rauf was of the view that under the seed development project in 2006-7 for the first time the crops of maize, wheat, potato and vegetables cultivated on 291 acre of land was tested and examined, adding that growing of some 201 metric ton quality seed was made possible.
He asserted that 25 agriculture experts were given training facilities, while some 60 more experts would be provided for training courses at Muzaffarabad and Mirpur under the supervision of Dr Ikhlaq Hussein. Dr Rauf said that Rs 600 million investment was being made for seed marketing, which would attract the investors and this would be helpful for the promotion of seed production sector.