UAF and Guard Agriculture sign agreement to develop hybrid wheat

What happened

The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and Guard Agriculture have signed a three-year Letter of Intent to develop and commercialise hybrid wheat in Pakistan [1, 2]. The agreement was signed by UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Zulfikar Ali and Guard Agriculture Chief Executive Shahzad Ali Malik, in the presence of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Ali Hussam Asghar [1, 2].

Key details of the partnership include:

• Yield Targets: Dr Zulfikar Ali stated the new seed technology aims for a 20 per cent increase in per-acre yield [1, 2]. He claimed that with appropriate conditions and good agricultural practices (GAP), wheat production could reach 98 maunds per acre [1, 2].
• UAF Responsibilities: The university will provide expertise in genetics, breeding, and agronomy. It will also facilitate access to breeding material and support laboratory, greenhouse, and field research [2].
• Guard Agriculture Responsibilities: The company will support multi-location field trials, seed production facilities, and commercial feasibility assessments. They will also provide research grants, PhD support, master’s fellowships, and internships [2].
• Joint Activities: The two organisations plan to arrange workshops, training programmes, field demonstrations, and exchanges for students, technical staff, and researchers [2].
• Ownership: Intellectual property, technology, research outputs, and breeding material generated through this collaboration will be jointly owned [2].
• Timeline: Shahzad Ali Malik stated that commercialisation could take another three to four years [1, 2].

Dr Zulfikar Ali noted that UAF has been conducting hybrid wheat research for approximately 15 years in collaboration with an Australian university [2]. He mentioned that while hybrid seeds could boost production without increasing input costs for farmers, success depends on improved crop management and the adoption of good agricultural practices [1, 2].

Shahzad Ali Malik noted that Guard Agriculture previously introduced hybrid rice in Sindh to improve economic prospects for farmers and now intends to apply similar efforts to wheat [2]. He also mentioned that recent discussions included the potential for genetically modified corn and the revival of cotton cultivation [2].

Attendees at the signing ceremony included Sajjad Sulaiman Malik and Momin Ali Malik from Guard’s Executive Seed Division [2].