HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City holds potentialfor crop seed export, but it still needs the State’s support to boost seeddevelopment and production which have yet to meet expectations so far.

There are 38 businesses producing and tradingcrop seeds in HCM City at present, supplying more than 45,000 tonnes of seedsto the market between 2016 and 2018.

They have studied and developed 136 new plantvarieties, 55 of which have been produced, including 46 vegetable, eight flowerand one rice variety, according to an official from the science and technologydivision of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

At a recent forum, Le Thi Kim, deputy head ofthe city’s plant cultivation and protection division, said although somecompanies have boosted intensive production, seed quality remains low due tothe shortage of detailed production process and quality standards.Additionally, they haven’t invested synchronously in other factors like nethouses, greenhouses and production techniques, making the potential ofproducing new varieties remain untapped.

The market’s demand changes continuously,requiring seeds with better quality and adaptability to environmental changesand diseases. However, production activities haven’t kept up with that demand.

HCM City imported 3,345 tonnes of seeds andseedlings in 2018 and more than 1,900 tonnes in the first half of this year, asurge compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, its seed export hasshowed signs of decrease, over 485 tonnes in 2018 and 92 tonnes in the firstsix months of this year – half of the volume in the corresponding period of2018.

Kim also attributed this fact to small-scale andweather dependent production practices, which have led to inconsistent qualityand high production costs. Businesses have also faced difficulties inorganising concentrated production zones, gathering investment resources andattracting manpower.

Nguyen Van Duc Tien, Deputy Director of thecity’s Centre for Agricultural Consultancy and Support, said as a concentrationof research centres and scientists, HCM City boasts huge potential in crop seedstudy, cross-breeding and production. However, to become a seed production hubof the southern region and the whole country, it needs to continue investing ininfrastructure, facilitate production connectivity and create hi-techagricultural zones.

As seed study, cross-breeding and production area long-term process with numerous risks, the State needs to issue appropriatesupport policies to encourage businesses’ engagement and attract skilledworkers to the field, he said.

Meanwhile, local seed producers also called onauthorities to facilitate their access to soft loans, enhance cooperation withforeign partners in seed-related study and technology transfer, and bootmanpower training for the sector. -VNA