LAHORE: The Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) has claimed significant progress in institutional reforms and modernisation efforts aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s seed sector and ensuring the nationwide availability of quality, certified seed for farmers.
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According to a press release, the reforms were undertaken to address long-standing structural challenges such as fragmented seed policies, weak regulatory oversight, limited access to improved and climate-resilient varieties, and outdated certification systems. To this end, the government enacted the Seed (Amendment) Act, 2024.
Under the amended law, the National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority (NSDRA) was established as a specialised body mandated to enhance regulatory oversight, promote varietal development, and ensure the supply of genetically true-to-type seed across the country. As part of this restructuring, the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD) was merged into the NSDRA.
The transition involved rightsizing measures to optimise human resources and strengthen technical capacity, enabling the new authority to operate as a performance-oriented regulator across the seed value chain. The ministry said this integration was intended to improve efficiency and accountability in seed certification and regulation.
As part of digital transformation initiatives, an MIS-based system has been introduced to provide end-to-end traceability of seed sector activities. These include registration and renewal of seed companies, variety approval, certification of nurseries and processing plants, internationally accredited seed testing, and market monitoring.
The Truth in Labelling Scheme has also been notified and implemented to enhance transparency and accountability through performance-based regulation. On the policy side, the NSDRA has submitted the National Seed Policy 2025 and the Agriculture Biotechnology Policy 2025, along with crop-specific strategies.
Regulatory enforcement has resulted in the cancellation of 430 non-compliant seed companies, while a new categorisation system has been introduced based on research capacity and technology adoption. The authority also regulated the inter-provincial movement of over 221,000 tonnes of wheat seed, contributing to improved certified seed availability and higher seed replacement rates.
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The ministry said these reforms aim to improve farmer access to quality seed, boost agricultural productivity, and strengthen national food security.