Pakistan Seed Market Size

Pakistan Seed Market Analysis

The Pakistan Seed Market size is estimated at USD 413.31 million in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 532.54 million by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 5.20% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

• An increase in hybrid seed penetration is anticipated in multiple crops to address the rising food demand-supply mismatch in the country. Due to a decrease in arable land and a constant increase in population, the per capita arable land has declined. These factors, along with poor crop productivity, are likely to create pressure on the food supply in the country.
• The seed sector in Pakistan is characterized by agitation between archaic regulations and entrepreneurs in the growing market. All critical aspects of the system, such as licensing of seed producers, variety release procedures, access to public germplasm, quality control, intellectual property rights (IPRs), imports, and exports, are all governed by laws and rules framed several decades ago for a system dominated by public-sector enterprises. However, seed law amendments and the introduction of new laws to propagate biotech seeds can be promising steps toward formalizing the informal sector.
• In Pakistan, hybrid seed penetration is the highest in cotton, with hybridization almost reaching saturation as Bt cotton is sown over 95% of the cotton-producing area in the country. Hybridization in corn, paddy, and vegetables is increasingly gaining momentum and is estimated to drive the sector growth during the forecast period.
• Pakistan is a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and is obligated to provide a mechanism to protect plant varieties. Pakistan is also a member of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which recognizes the right of farmers to save, use, exchange, and sell farm-saved seeds. Accordingly, Pakistan adopted the Plant Breeders' Rights Act to encourage the development of new plant varieties and protect the rights of breeders of such types, thus attracting local and foreign investment in research, technology, and development, in the seed industry. The act also respects the right of farmers to save, use, exchange, and sell farm-saved seeds, a practice that is the backbone of the agricultural system and the main channel through which farmers access sources in most developing countries.