Ministry seeks cut in wheat seed prices

Dawn reported that the Ministry of National Food Security and Research has asked private seed companies to lower wheat seed prices so that farmers can afford them before the Rabi sowing season opens in the coming weeks. The request came during a Wednesday meeting chaired by Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, which included seed firms and the National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority. Participants also discussed how seed moves between provinces and how supply can stay uninterrupted.

The minister said low use of certified seed is a major obstacle to wheat production, and that the government is backing climate-resilient, high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties through research and seed multiplication programmes. He also stressed that small growers feel the pressure of total spending on seed, fertiliser and irrigation most sharply. Hussain instructed the NSDRA to keep wheat seed moving smoothly between provinces, working with provincial authorities and suppliers.

A government document on the 2026-27 Rabi crops puts wheat seed procurement availability at 611,793.06 tonnes, which covers 51 per cent of the 1,191,555 tonnes required. Punjab holds 553,008.75 tonnes (67 per cent of the total), followed by Sindh with 40,873.89 tonnes (23 per cent), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 7,458.62 tonnes (7 per cent) and Balochistan with 10,451.80 tonnes (13 per cent).