HYDERABAD: Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Vice Chancellor Dr Fateh Mari on Wednesday inaugurated an experimental farming for the production and expansion ofcotton varietiesunderthe aegis of the Seed Production and Development Centre (SPDC).

The SAU also signed an agreement with the United Bank Limited (UBL) for the development of improved and climate-resilient seeds of wheat and cotton varieties.

The VC said cotton was most affected due to recent floods, which caused losses of billions of rupees to farmers` economy. Thus farmers faced a shortage of certified cotton seeds to deal with the situation and the SAU in collaboration with the UBL conducted research on the certified seeds of cotton and wheat.

He said that so far private companies had been meeting 80 per cent need of cotton seed. Mostly unregistered, those companies bought cotton seed from ginning factories and sell them without process, thus, causing irreparable losses to cotton producers, he said.

He said the university had developed a new cotton variety named as SAU-1 which was at the registration stageand research work was also in process with the UBL`s support to meet shortage of quality certified cotton and wheat seeds.

SPDC Director Prof Dr Zahoor Ahmed Soomro said that through research more productive and diseaseresistant seeds would be produced after which farmers would be able to get rid of substandard and spurious seeds.

Noted agricultural breeder Karam Khan Kaleri said the SAU had taken important steps for wheat and cotton seeds. Institutions would have to make joint efforts to get out of crises in agriculture, especially that of seeds due torecent floods, he said.

Dr Shahnawaz Marri, convener of the project, said that besides the experts, the SAU graduates were also involved in the research process and they would come forward as a trained individual force for the expansion of new seeds in future.

Experts have described lack of provision of certified cotton seed and sale of substandard seed by private companies in the province as a leading cause of loss of productivity. They have emphasised the need for a cooperation between institutions for better production and expansion of quality cotton seeds.