By Jan Khaskheli

Increase in the price of rice in the local market has inspired growers to
sow genetically modified seeds of paddy to get more produce, revealed
reports gathered by The News from different districts.
Even the major cash crop cotton has been put on lower priority because of
the persistently mealy bug attack that had affected the per acre cotton
production badly in the previous years. It is now the general preference of
growers to utilise genetically modified seeds instead of local ones because
it yields more profit.

Mir Mohammed Pirzado, an agronomist and former director Wheat Research
Institute, Sakrand said that traditionally there are some tracts which are
suitable for different crops. For instance, the land and environment of
Larkana are healthy for paddy crops. British rulers, after ascertaining the
potential of the land, had developed Rice Station Dokri, which was later
upgraded to the Rice Research Institute to promote the rice. These foreign
rulers had then initiated schemes to give incentives to local growers, who
used to export fragrant Sugdasi (Arona) in the world market.

Pirzado, who originally belongs to Dokri and has been associated with the
agriculture research, told The News that after the decrease in irrigation
water, the excessive use of fertiliser and tube-well water, the lands have
lost its fertility. Besides, he said that the local paddy plants are longer
than the genetically modified crop, which cannot survive at some places.
Secondly, the modified seed give more yields as compared to the local seed.
He said that in Sindh growers always export this product to get more cash
and are reluctant to keep it for food. He said that the local people buy
Punjab-produced quality rice, including ?kernel rice?. However, he said that
the Gulf States love this ?IRRI? rice. IRRI stands for International Rice
Research Institute. Based in the Philippines IRRI is an autonomous,
nonprofit rice research organisation with mission to reduce poverty and
hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure that
rice production is environmentally sustainable.

Peerzado gave credit to the Punjab rice research institutes, which have
produced quality paddy crops through cross breeding. The Punjab province
supplies its rice all over the country.

Pirzado said that as compared to the local plant, modified seeds are
disease-resistant and can survive in the local environment. According to
him, the IRRI paddy models are originally from the Philippines, which now
have been introduced in the world, including Pakistan.

He said that few growers still cultivate local fragrant paddy crop for
domestic use or sending gifts to family friends and government officials.

Talking about the role of the Rice Research Institute, Dokri, Larkana
district, he said it could not give input because of unnecessary
interference of high-ups and transferring of technical people on political
basis. He said earlier the Rice Research Institute had introduced quality
rice in the form of the Latifi Rice model, but they could not maintain it.
He said that the research institute should undertake the introduction of
quality rice for domestic use, because presently the reliance was on Punjabi
rice.

Mithal Mallah, Field Assistant, Sindh Seed Corporation (SSC), Sakrand of
Nawabshah district said that now there are no more local commodities of
paddy crops in the entire area, as majority of the growers use different
IRRI models, including IRRI 6-9, and 10. Mallah said that the rice
commodities, locally known as Sugdasi and Ratria were tasty, but now have
disappeared from the local market. ?Not only does its fragrance cover the
entire vicinity while cooking but its plants also attract large number of
animals and birds over.?

The reason for the changing trend of cultivating paddy instead of cotton,
which has been the major cash crops in the Sindh province, is the fact that
the mealy bug has caused huge loss to growers in the recent consecutive
years, say growers. Now they are reluctant to cultivate cotton and are
instead sowing paddy to earn more money.

Earlier, the SSC tried to provide samples of paddy to local growers but then
looking at the inclination of growers, they changed their mind and are only
supplying the seeds of wheat and cotton to willing farmers.

Previously growers used to spare seeds for next year?s sowing but now they
use genetically modified seeds, which do not survive for that long. That is
why growers have to purchase new seed every year.

Sanghar, a cotton cultivation district, has also witnessed a change in the
mindset of growers. They have sown rice instead of cotton this year because
of the losses made by mealy bug attacks in the previous years, local growers
said.

Gulab Shah, a small grower from the Indus Delta region said that the price
of modified seed in the local market is Rs300 per kilogram. Fourteen
killogrammes are sufficient for one-acre against 40kg to 50 kg local paddy
seed for the area. About per acre product, he said that the modified seed,
known locally as Irri- models produce 80 to 100 maunds per acre against the
25 to 40 maunds output of local paddy models.

He said that the Indus Delta region, known as the paddy cultivation area, is
witnessing the changing mind of local growers sowing IRRI instead of red
rice, the popular produce of the region. ?Water shortage is the main
problem, otherwise the farmers are eager to cultivate more paddy crops
because of its market demand, locally and abroad,? Shah explained.

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