Maize innovations and interventions under USAID-supported agricultural innovation program in Pakistan

Abstract

Maize is Pakistan’s third most important cereal crop after wheat and rice. It is cultivated on more than 1.16 million hectares with an average yield of 4.2 tons ha-1, which is one of the highest in south Asia. However, the maize sector in Pakistan still imports nearly 85% of the hybrid seed, which makes the retail price of seed in Pakistan (currently US $6-8 per kg) very high compared to prices in neighboring countries like India (about US $3 per kg), Bangladesh (US $3-4 per kg) and Thailand (US $2-3 per kg). Apart from the price, the genetic diversity of Pakistan’s maize varieties is limited and not well-adapted to the country’s heterogeneous agro-ecologies and diverse human and industrial uses. USAID-supported AIP Maize is a publicprivate alliance for the development and deployment of improved maize varieties, with focus on enhancing the availability, affordability and accessibility of improved maize seeds particularly for Pakistan’s smallholder farmers. The project is led by CIMMYT in collaboration with Pakistan’s Agricultural Research Council. Currently the project is operational in all provinces of Pakistan through a network of 10 public and 12 private sector partners working on maize research and development at various levels