BEIJING, Aug 25 (APP):Pakistan is moving to expand access to high-yield crop seeds from China as it seeks to raise agricultural productivity, strengthen food security and ease mounting pressure on food prices. In the latest development, Pakistan’s Federal Seed Analyst Waqas Amjad signed an agreement with a seed company in Chongqing, China, to facilitate the introduction of additional Chinese crop varieties, including rice, rapeseed, corn, soybeans and vegetables. The move …
Pakistan to introduce more high-yield crop seeds from China
BEIJING, Aug 25 (APP):Pakistan is moving to expand access to high-yield crop seeds from China as it seeks to raise agricultural productivity, strengthen food security and ease mounting pressure on food prices.
In the latest development, Pakistan’s Federal Seed Analyst Waqas Amjad signed an agreement with a seed company in Chongqing, China, to facilitate the introduction of additional Chinese crop varieties, including rice, rapeseed, corn, soybeans and vegetables.
The move came as Amjad concluded a training programme in China, where he explored cooperation in seed technology and agricultural development.
Pakistan is also considering a series of measures to make it easier for Chinese seed companies to enter the Pakistani market and accelerate the commercialisation of new varieties, Amjad told China Economic Net.
Under the proposed measures, the adaptation testing period for imported seed varieties could be reduced from two years to one, allowing new varieties to reach farmers more quickly. Import permissions could also be broadened, enabling more registered Chinese seed companies to directly conduct business in Pakistan rather than limiting sample imports to designated companies.
“Pakistan is further encouraging Chinese companies to partner with local firms through joint ventures, a move aimed at lowering barriers to market entry and facilitating the commercial deployment of improved seed varieties,” Waqas said.
The push comes at a time when Pakistan is facing renewed pressure on food prices. The country’s Sensitive Price Indicator, a measure of short-term inflation, rose 9.66 percent year on year in the week ended August 20, according to figures cited from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
Wheat and flour have been among the main drivers of the increase. In early August, the national average price of a 20-kilogram bag of flour had risen to between 2,200 and 3,133 rupees, rising 62.25% year-on-year. This comes after a 78% surge in July. To ease price pressures, the federal government has decided to import 1 million tonnes of wheat.
Onions and tomatoes also recorded sharp price increases. In the week ending August 20, onion prices jumped 132.52% year on year, while tomato prices rose 93.21%. Rising fuel costs have further exacerbated food inflation, with gasoline and diesel prices increasing by 27.65% and 33.08%, respectively, from a year earlier, pushing up transportation and distribution costs.
“Pakistan’s seed sector faces a significant supply gap,” Waqas said. The Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26 puts certified seed availability at about 767.9 thousand tonnes against estimated requirements of 2.06 million tonnes across major crops.
Chinese seed technology has already produced tangible results in Pakistan.
“One of the most prominent examples is hybrid rice. Chinese hybrid rice technology has helped raise yields in demonstration fields from around 7.5 tonnes per hectare to 13.5 tonnes per hectare — an increase of about 80%. Farmers involved in the programme have reported that the additional income from a single harvest can cover the cost of the hybrid seed, highlighting the commercial appeal of higher-yield varieties,” Amjad said.
A new disease-resistant wheat variety developed using molecular breeding technology has also been successfully bred for conditions in northern Pakistan, increasing yields by 8% to 10%. China and Pakistan are continuing to collaborate on the research and development of hybrid wheat, which has the potential to boost yields by 20% to 70%.
A high-yield cauliflower variety developed by the Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences now accounts for more than 70% of Pakistan’s annual cauliflower cultivation.
The hybrid rapeseed variety “HC-021C”, the first foreign rapeseed variety registered in Pakistan, has been planted on a cumulative area of more than 400,000 acres and has increased farmers’ incomes by about 30%.
Cooperation is also expanding to cotton, with Pakistan exploring the introduction of high-yield cotton varieties from Xinjiang, China and conducting variety-selection trials.
Dr. Abid Ali, associate professor at Shenyang Normal University, said Pakistan’s Green Pakistan Initiative and the National Seed Regulatory Authority have set goals to revive cotton production and improve the availability of high-quality seed.
“Chinese seed companies are increasingly becoming reliable partners for Pakistan as some international seed companies reduce or exit their presence in the Pakistani market,” he noted.
