ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Minister for National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) Dr Kausar Abdullah Malik, on Wednesday, said that “our laws do not allow the import of seed.”

“The import of any kind of seeds will not be permitted as according to our law no seed can be imported,” he said while presiding over a meeting of the All Pakistan Solvent Extractors Association (APSEA) regarding reducing the price of chickens and importing soybeans.

Secretary, Minister of National Food Security and Research Captain Muhammad Mahmood (retired) and Chairman Pakistan Agriculture Research Counsel (PARC) Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali were also present at the meeting, said a senior official of MNFS&R.

He said the minister said that his ministry would provide all the possible support to the industry. “Technical and commercial research report should be submitted in a week regarding soybean (glycine max),” he said.

Malik said that complete work should be done on soybeans before importing them, adding it was necessary to check that which seed had more economic benefit in the same season.

He said it was better to grow something for the sake of domestic and national interest on the land where nothing could grow.

Secretary Ministry MNFS&R advised to form a committee comprising PARC, Director General (DG) Department of Plant Protection (DPP) and DG Federal Seeds Certification and Registration Department and submit a research report within a week on what are the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and protocols of soybean import and export in the world.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023