Chinese experts to train 40 Pakistani scientists on hybrid rice

ISLAMABAD: A group of Chinese hybrid rice experts would be arriving in Pakistan next month (in September) to impart training to Pakistani scientists for the promotion and development of hybrid seed verities across the crop sowing areas of the country to boost local output.

In first phase a batch of 40 scientists selected all across the country would be trained to promote and develop the hybrid rice production technology in the country, said Member Plant Science of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) Dr Muhammad Yousuf.

In an interview with state-run wire service, he said that Pakistan and Chinese Government had signed a memorandum of understanding for the promotion of hybrid rice verities in Pakistan as well as capacity building of local scientists in field of hybrid rice.

Under the agreement, he said that 28 scientists all across the country were selected for the training programme and they had completed their training form China and now they were extending their services for the promotion and development of hybrid rice seed in the country.

He said that hybrid rice cultivation across the crop sowing areas during current season had registered significant increase and it is expected that the trend of hybrid rice seed would gain momentum during the next season.

“Hybrid rice had been cultivated over 800,000 hectares of land across the crop producing areas of the country, which was a healthy trend and give boost to the local output of the rice”, he added.

The area under hybrid rice production was gradually increasing and it was phasing-out the trend of conventional seed, adding that it would help in boosting the local output that would also result in enhancing the exports and fetch more foreign exchange for economic development.