Board of Directors of the Punjab Seed Corporation (PSC) gave approval of a budget of Rs 2.175 billion for the Corporation for the year 2008-09. Punjab Minister for Agriculture Ahmad Ali Aulakh chaired the meeting, also present were Punjab Agriculture Secretary Javed Iqbal Awan, representatives of Planning and Development Board and officials of the Corporation.
The meeting was told that the corporation would supply 100,000 metric tons seeds of wheat, cotton, paddy, hybrid maize, gram, vegetables, pulses, fodder and oil seeds to the farmers and expect to earn a profit of Rs 150 million out of it.
The minister urged the Corporation to ensure supply of hi-tech seed of hybrids and B.T. Cotton for increasing per acre national yield. The performance of PSC in the growth of Agri sector is highly appreciable, he added.
He said that the current financial budget of P.S.C. is over 40 per cent higher than the previous year's budget. He further said that quantity of major and minor crops seed was also 44 per cent higher than the last year.
He appreciated the efforts of PSC to start production of hybrid maize seed, vegetable and oil seed hybrids in collaboration with National Research Institute and multinational companies of Turkey and China. In current budget PSC will also complete three development projects at a cost of Rs 26.60 million for improving efficiency of seed plants and mechanisation of seed farms. The minister directed PSC to submit comprehensive vision and further business plan to make PSC more vibrant and efficient organisation of Pakistan's seed sector.
Awan also gave the task of restructuring and reorganising PSC on advanced lines by improving human resource development and induction of real professionals with attractive pay scale. Managing Director PSC Khalid Masood Chaudary apprised Board of directors regarding the salient achievements of PSC made in the last 32 years. Finance Director Haroon Ahmed Qureshi presented the budget details of PSC for the current fiscal year.