The Ministry of National Food Security and Research has announced wide-ranging reforms to modernise Pakistan’s seed sector and expand farmers’ access to certified, high-quality seed nationwide.
The overhaul addresses long-standing structural weaknesses. These included fragmented policies, weak regulation, outdated certification systems, and limited access to improved and climate-resilient crop varieties.
To resolve these gaps, the government enacted the Seed (Amendment) Act, 2024. The law established the National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority (NSDRA) as a dedicated and specialised regulator. The Authority oversees seed regulation, supports varietal development, and ensures a nationwide supply of genetically true-to-type seed.
Digital transformation now forms the backbone of the new regulatory framework. The NSDRA has introduced a central MIS-based system that enables full traceability across the seed value chain.
The platform covers seed company registration and renewal, variety approvals, nursery and processing plant registration, fruit plant certification, internationally accredited seed testing, and market surveillance. The government has also implemented the Truth in Labelling Scheme, which introduces performance-based regulation to improve transparency and accountability.
Stronger Oversight and Enforcement
On the policy front, the Authority has submitted the National Seed Policy 2025 and the Agriculture Biotechnology Policy 2025, alongside crop-specific regulatory strategies.
As part of enforcement efforts, regulators cancelled the registrations of 430 non-compliant seed companies. A new classification system now ranks companies based on research capacity and technology adoption.
The NSDRA has aligned certification protocols with international standards for olive, mango, and citrus crops. It has also regulated the interprovincial movement of more than 221,000 metric tons of wheat seed.
These measures improved certified seed availability across provinces. Sindh recorded a seed replacement rate of 67 per cent during the current Rabi season. Authorities have strengthened coordination in research and innovation by digitising the Variety Evaluation Committee (VEC) for major crops.
During FY 2024–25, regulators approved 208 improved crop varieties, including wheat, rice, cotton, maize, fodder, oilseeds, cereals, and horticultural crops. A dedicated funding mechanism now supports timely varietal trials and approvals.
