Seed performance complaints trigger calls for accountability in agriculture

ISLAMABAD: Complaints by maize growers over the performance of some hybrid seed varieties this season have brought renewed attention to accountability in Pakistan’s agriculture sector, where debate on farmer welfare has largely focused on support prices, subsidies, water shortages, climate pressures and access to technology.

Farmers have posted photos and videos on social media questioning whether actual crop output matched the claims used in marketing these seeds. The issue has gained prominence amid broader concern over what happens when agricultural inputs do not deliver the results promised to growers.

Aamer Hayat Bhandara, founder of Agriculture Republic, said Pakistan’s maize sector had expanded markedly over the past two decades, with growth driven by hybrid seeds introduced by multinational companies. He said the shift had helped support the poultry, feed and food industries, but had also made farmers increasingly reliant on costly inputs.

Bhandara said growers bear almost the entire financial risk in the production cycle, including spending on land preparation, seed, fertiliser, pesticides, irrigation, labour and harvesting. When crops underperform or fail, he said, the losses are largely absorbed by farmers themselves. He added that such complaints are often brushed aside by blaming farmer mistakes, weak practices, weather conditions or climate-related factors, while little neutral scrutiny is carried out to determine whether the inputs actually performed in line with advertised standards.