THE National Seed Committee has approved the registration of more than 20 varieties of seasonal and industrial crops to be grown throughout the country.

The registrations earlier this month bring to more than 160 the number of seed varieties approved by the committee since it was formed in 1979.

Registration is the first step in the production of certified seeds for use by farmers to increase productivity.

Four varieties of paddy developed by the Myanma Agriculture Service and five paddy varieties developed by the Department of Agricultural Research are among the latest seeds approved by the committee, said U Than Lwin, an assistant manager at the Seed Division under MAS.

He said beans and pulses (six varieties), sugar cane (four varieties), yellow maize (two varieties), sesame, jute, sunflower, tomato and cotton seeds developed by departments under the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation or the private sector had also been approved.

U Than Lwin said the registration of the seeds followed trials conducted over three seasons.

He said crops grown from registered seeds will be planted during the rainy season to provide stocks for distribution to farmers next season.

Of the nine types of paddy approved for registration, Sinthwelat was a proven high yield quality variety and the rest produced either high yielding or high quality crops, U Than Lwin said.

“High yield varieties can produce between 100 to 150 baskets an acre while quality varieties can produce between 70 to 80 baskets an acre,” he said.

The government planned for Sinthwelat to be grown on 30,000 acres in Ayeyarwaddy, Yangon and Bago divisions and Kachin and Kayah states during the rainy season.

This would produce 1.8 million baskets of certified seeds, enough for 900,000 acres, for distribution to farmers in the following season, U Than Lwin.

He said the government distributes about 100,000 baskets of registered seeds each year to selected farmers, who replant them to produce about six million baskets of certified seed, enough for growing on 4.5 million acres the next season.