Pakistan Agriculture Developments

[ghazi52]

Govt to rationalise agri seed business

Food minister says cotton production severely affected this year

February 19, 2021

ISLAMABAD: A crackdown against the fake seeds companies has been launched in the country, while the government seeks to restrict the number to 200 firms which are actually doing the business in order to ensure provision of quality seed to the farmers across the country.

At a briefing to reporters on Friday, National Food Security Minister Syed Fakhar Imam and Secretary Ghufran Memon said that the agriculture sector, which was the backbone of the economy, has been one of the priority areas of the present government.

During the briefing, Imam stressed the need for provision of quality cotton seed to the formers. Memon added that a phased crackdown has been launched against fake companies, adding that only those companies that were doing business will remain registered.

Describing cotton as the most important crop, the minister said that it was severely affected this year but three important steps had been taken to increase its production. “It has been decided to subsidise the cotton crop,” he added.

“The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved subsidies on cotton seeds, fertilisers and whitefly pesticides,” Imam said. “The subsidies will be provided directly to the farmers through the provinces,” he added.

Imam said that the plant breeder bill and the seed bill had been on hold for the last 20 years. “For the first time in our government’s tenure, these bills have been passed and practical work is starting on them,” the minister said.

According to the minister, agriculture, livestock and fisheries projects are under way under the Agricultural Emergency Programme. “The use of research and technology to promote agriculture is a top priority,” he said, adding: “We will end the role of middlemen in agriculture.”

Security Memon said that there were more seed companies registered in Pakistan than in India. “There are about 1,000 seed companies registered in Pakistan. It is recommended that not more than 200 seed companies should be registered,” he added.

Recommendations are being made not to cancel the registration of companies, he said, but made it clear that only those companies which were actually doing the business will remain registered. “A phased crackdown has been launched against non-compliant and fake companies,” he added.

 

[ghazi52]

Need to overhaul agricultural finance regime


Mohiuddin Aazim
March 8, 2021 -


In Pakistan, 90-94 per cent of farm loans are offered for production and only 6-10pc for agricultural development.

According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the share of development loans in total agricultural finance stood at 6pc in 2018-19. This percentage improved to 6.7pc in 2019-20 and further to 10pc in the first seven months of this fiscal year.

Among other things, this factor is also responsible for keeping our agriculture where it is today — under-exploited, low on productivity, high on wastages, slow-progressing and least prepared for future challenges.

“The development and commercialisation of agriculture requires financial services that can support: larger agriculture investments and agriculture-related infrastructure that require long-term funding, a greater inclusion of youth and women in agriculture and advancements in technology.” This statement coming from the World Bank in October 2020 sums up, to a great extent, how agricultural financing should be overhauled in most developing countries.

Pakistan is no exception. On its part, the country has long been making efforts to restructure its agricultural finance regime. And, one can find some examples of these ongoing efforts in the introduction of measures like warehouse receipt financing and greater involvement of microfinance institutions in agricultural lending.

The SBP should consider assigning sub-targets for agricultural development loans to banks

Last year, the SBP had come up with a detailed report on agri financing. In that report, it had defined development agri finance as medium- and long-term loans that banks offer in all sub-sectors of agriculture i.e. major and minor crops, livestock, dairy, poultry, fisheries and forestry. Short-term loans of six months to one year are offered to the entire agriculture sector mostly for meeting their working capital needs. But medium- to long-term loans of three- to five-year maturity are advanced to enable agriculturists to undertake projects that can help improve productivity and cut wastages.

That is why looking at the volumes of agricultural development lending is important to understand how much Pakistan agriculture is prepared to meet future challenges like national food security and environmental protection.

Within agricultural development financing, farm sector’s development loans are mainly offered for improvement of farmland and orchards, construction of tunnel farms, storage sites and warehouses, installation of efficient irrigation systems and purchase of farming machinery. But no study has been conducted by the provinces to ascertain how development finance offered to crop growers in each province have resulted in better yields and low wastages.

After all, agriculture is a provincial subject and in the absence of such studies one cannot expect banks or the central bank to overhaul agricultural development finance with a view to increasing crop yields and cut pre- and post-harvest losses. Banks just offer agricultural development finance as part of overall agricultural financing and their lending remains demand-driven. It is up to growers to see the benefits of development finance and seek it from banks if they meet the eligibility criteria. For those in corporate farming, this makes sense. But leaving such crucial decision-making to small individual growers seems unwise.

The SBP should consider assigning sub-targets of agricultural development loans to banks as a certain percentage of overall agricultural lending targets. The central bank may also push banks for greater agricultural development lending to small and medium-size individual growers as well.

Sub-targets for agricultural development loans can also be set for banks for making agricultural loans in livestock, fisheries and poultry sub-sectors. And, banks should seek help from provincial governments in creating awareness among farmers — and devising a mechanism for aligning agricultural development loans with the overall national food security targets.

In case of overall agricultural lending that includes loans for production as well as development, distribution of loans still suffers from geographical discrepancies. If this issue is left unaddressed, it would produce undesired political fallouts besides hurting the objectives of national food security via sustainable high growth in agriculture.

In continuation of a long-held trend, agricultural lending in July-December 2020 remained disproportionately high in Punjab and the smaller provinces got little. Out of Rs617bn worth of total agricultural loans, Punjab-based farmers got Rs517.6bn or 83.9pc, followed by Sindh that got Rs88.8bn or 14.4pc. Only 1.7pc of the total agri credit was distributed among farmers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, latest data released by the SBP reveals.

This pattern needs to be broken once and for all. Sindh’s contribution to Pakistan’s agriculture is close to 20pc and the collective contribution of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan is about 5pc.

Besides, agricultural loaning, particularly agricultural development loaning, cannot be linked to the exact contribution of a federating unit to the country’s total agriculture. It ought to be linked to the provinces’ specific agricultural needs and unique development potential. That will eventually help in sustained growth of the country’s entire agriculture.

Under the umbrella of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan and China have signed several agreements for cooperation in the agricultural sector. The SBP-supervised agricultural credit scheme under which banks make agri loans to farmers must now encourage banks to roll out specific financing models for the projects that these agreements cover. The central bank should also revise the scheme in the near future to accommodate inputs from the smaller provinces. This is important as some of the planned agricultural projects under CPEC aim at improving the irrigation system across Pakistan.

Irrigation, fishing and corporate and joint farming are some key areas of planned cooperation under CPEC’s agricultural outreach programme. In each of these areas, agriculturists and provincial agricultural authorities complain of a lack of clarity and also have some reservations.

The federal government must provide them with the required clarity and remove their reservations. That, too, is very essential in redesigning the agricultural credit scheme with a view to making it responsive to the upcoming specific needs of CPEC-related agricultural projects.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, , March 8th, 2021

 

[ghazi52]

Traders demand rise in agri output

Say import of three crops cost exchequer nearly $2b from July-February FY21


Our Correspondent
March 14, 2021

KARACHI: The business community has urged the government to accelerate agriculture growth by focusing on enhancing the per acre yield because import of just three main crops cost nearly $2 billion in foreign payments from July-February of the ongoing fiscal year.

Due to a drop in local production of wheat, cotton and sugar, the country had to import these commodities at a price of $1.95 billion, which placed additional burden on the current account, said Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) former president Mian Anjum Nisar.
In comments to The Express Tribune on Saturday, he said that Pakistan could reduce its import bill by uplifting agricultural production.

“The government should take immediate measures to curb cost of production in the agriculture sector to ensure food security through enhanced per acre yield,” he stressed. “Due to lower produce of just three major crops, the import payments surged significantly.”

Nisar said that Pakistan’s population was ballooning and it was imperative to raise agricultural production.
Giving recommendations on how to reduce the cost of production, he directed the government to support farmers in purchase of machinery, fertilisers, pesticides and other inputs.

“Infrastructure should also be developed to ensure farm-to-market access,” he said. “The leadership should formulate a sustainable agriculture policy to ensure food security in the country.”

Due to an alarming plunge in cotton production, Pakistan would need to import seven million bales worth $4 billion. He lamented that recently, cotton production of the country touched 30-year low in terms of volume.

“Government should take practical steps to increase cotton production in the country,” Nisar emphasised.
After the 18th amendment, agriculture became a provincial subject, however, Sindh and Punjab seem inattentive towards increasing output given that they have not taken any positive steps so far, he said.
Nisar voiced fear that negligence of agriculture sector could lead the country towards a severe food crises and shortage of essential food items would increase inflation.

“Seed is the basic input for the agriculture sector and plays an imperative role in raising productivity,” he said. “The world is focusing on the use of certified seed for enhancing agriculture productivity due to better profitability and international recognition.”

He said that technology and farm mechanisation can accelerate the growth of agriculture sector. Since all the economic indicators are moving in a positive direction, the government should now divert its attention towards giving the benefit of this improvement to the general public, he added.

Endorsing his views, Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front Chairman Mian Nauman Kabir said lack of investment in agriculture research, poor governance, bad planning and climate change have resulted in shortage of wheat, sugar and cotton.

FPCCI Senior Vice President Shahzeb Akram said that Pakistan’s food security depends on production of essential crops that provide basic food and input for industrial production, however, the current performance of the agriculture sector does not guarantee self-sufficiency.


Published in The Express Tribune, March 14th, 2021.

 

[ghazi52]

BEIJING, March 14 (APP):A Chinese expert, Zhang Long, a professor from China Agricultural University has shared his experience for desert locust control in Pakistan on a webinar jointly held by China and Pakistan.

The webinar was arranged by relevant departments of China and Pakistan, including the National Agro-tech Extension and Service Center affiliated to the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the Pakistani Embassy in Beijing, the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, and Pakistani Ministry of National Food Security & Research.

At the seminar, Zhang Long, said China and Pakistan are iron brothers, and China would like to help Pakistan deal with the desert locust plague.

Zhang is one of the expert team members who traveled to Pakistan to help the desert locust control in February 2020. As Zhang along with the other experts made a field trip across Pakistan, he made different suggestions for desert locust control according to different situations, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Sunday.

Zhang pointed out that Punjab province was facing the most emergent situation. As the nymphs will hatch in the next two weeks, some action must be taken immediately, including digging out eggs and spraying chemicals.

Besides specific measures, Zhang also advised Pakistanis to establish a sustainable, high-efficient and long-term management system for the desert locust control. In this system, biological and ecological controls are the main methods. Zhang thought that monitoring and forecast of the locust should be more precise and efficient.

Zhang also stressed that Pakistan should strengthen scientific research in locust biology, ecology and physiology to tackle threats of locust plague. He also advised to train more people for the locust control.

 

[ghazi52]

Seminar to bolster China-Pakistan cooperation in seed industry held


March 25, 2021

SOURCEpakobserver





According to China Economic Net, a seminar was held in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to bolster China, Pakistan cooperation in the seed industry.
During the online seminar, Chinese experts highlighted cotton production in the world and how Pakistani cotton farmers can benefit from their experience. Principal researcher at Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Dong Hezhong, said that there is a need for seed research to pick the right seed for the right atmosphere, cotton-peanut intercropping and plant architecture to allow for mechanical harvest.

The experts discussed how Pakistan can learn from China to increase the production of rice, maize, soybean and cotton.
Chinese experts in an online seminar elaborated how Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region excel in cotton production in the world and how Pakistani cotton farmers could benefit from their experience.

According to China Economic Net (CEN), Dong Hezhong, principal researcher at Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that seed research to pick the right seed for right atmosphere, cotton-peanut intercropping and plant architecture to allow for mechanical harvest enabled Xinjiang to enhance its share in China’s cotton production from less than 4% in 1949 to 76% as of today.

The seminar was aimed at bolstering China-Pakistan cooperation in seed industry.

The experts discussed how Pakistan could learn from China to increase production of rice, maize, soybean and cotton, especially by adopting the Chinese techniques of intercropping and double cropping.

 

[ghazi52]

Self-sufficiency in potato seed

Amin Ahmer
March 22, 2021

Pakistan is poised to become self-sufficient in potato seed by mid-2022. The country is going to start producing high-quality, virus-free, third-generation potato seed.
Pakistan is poised to become self-sufficient in potato seed by mid-2022. The country is going to start producing high-quality, virus-free, third-generation potato seed. It will apply the aeroponic technology that it received from South Korea. The move will reduce the import bill for potato seed, which is $400 million per annum.
Aeroponic is a method for growing potatoes in air inside the bed in a greenhouse. The nutrients’ solution is misted onto the plants through nozzles to supply nutrients and water. The technology is highly suitable for tuber enlargement and easier to supply oxygen to the root zone.

This soilless method is for producing pre-basic seed with a higher yield more quickly, more sustainably and with greater profits than conventional methods. The producer can recover initial investments quickly owing to the high level of profitability.

Currently, Pakistan imports about 15,000 tonnes of potato seed from various countries.

The availability of aeroponic techniques for potato plants grown with the help of fine droplets without soil or substrate support presents a new hope, said Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC).

The end of import reliance will save the exchequer $400m a year

This revolutionary technique will lead to higher growth rates and healthy, uniform and vigorous potato tubers. This will make potato production more efficient and reduce the number of cycles in potato seed multiplication, thus reducing the threats to health and quality, he said.

With the special interest of South Korean Ambassador Suh Sangpyo, the transfer of became possible following the establishment of the Korea Programme for International Cooperation in Agricultural Technology (KOPIA) at the National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad in 2020, with the objective of promoting bilateral cooperation in the agriculture sector. Different potato-growing countries have already started adopting this technology.

Under the agreement, a KOPIA-Pakistan Centre has been established in NARC followed by the establishment of an aeroponic greenhouse. The Rural Development Administration (RDA) of South Korea has provided funds for this project.

Pakistan-South Korea joint activities will help introduce innovation in agricultural technology and techniques in seed development, which will improve smart farming and enhance small farms’ productivity besides increasing income levels of small farmers.

The potato crop in Pakistan is cultivated on a commercial scale and contributes considerably to GDP. It is grown in both highlands and plains as the summer and winter crop, which reflects its importance in the livelihoods of a diverse group of farmers.

The average yield of the potato crop in Pakistan is lower than that in other potato-growing countries. The potato seed of the seventh and eighth generations is being imported, which only accounts for 2pc of the total requirement. Its subsequent multiplication in formal and informal ways leads to the accumulation of viruses owing to the absence of the latest diagnostic techniques and monitoring systems, according to potato scientists.

According to PARC Member Dr Shahid Hameed, the cost of high-quality seed is about 35-50pc of the total cost of production in Pakistan. Certified seed production is limited and faces technical, economical and managerial problems. Most farmers rely on their own seed for which they mostly do not have the proper skills and technical knowledge, he said.

Dr Hameed further added that a critical constraint on meeting the growing demand and population growth is the non-availability of high-quality seed with acceptable levels of resistance to pest and diseases.
Diagnostic surveys carried out by different researchers confirmed the presence and variable incidence of internationally renowned and economically important viruses in different agro-ecological zones of potato cultivation in Pakistan. The lack of availability of quality-seed potatoes by conventional methods is among the major reasons that pose a direct challenge to the production system, Dr Hameed said.

 

[ghazi52]

China wants to invest in Pakistan's food processing industry

Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry President SM Naveed has said China is interested in investing in Ford processing as well as building joint projects in cloth coloring and embroidery sectors.

Addressing a conference of PCJCCI, SM Naveed said that sugar can help develop in Pakistan's food and clothing sectors and current standards of production can be increased. He further said both. Joint projects between countries will prove inevitable to increase mutual cooperation and regional contact.

 

[ghazi52]

Agriculture sector: challenges and way forward

Farmers cannot switch to new technologies as they require heavy investment


Muhammad Nadeem Sarwar
March 29, 2021

KARACHI: Agriculture is one of the key sectors of Pakistan’s economy. It comprises crops, livestock, forestry and fishing with crops being the major component.

This sector not only produces 19.3% of total output of the country but also provides employment to around 38.7% of the population, higher than all other sectors. This sector supports other related industries such as textile, sugar, tractor manufacturing, fertiliser, etc through strong forward and backward linkages.

A high yield in the agriculture sector also fosters commerce and trade since most of the farmers fall in the low or lower middle-income group whose marginal propensity to consume is high. Therefore, the contribution of this sector goes beyond what is reflected by statistics.
Unfortunately, the sector, like many others, is performing well below its potential. Among major crops, the production of cotton is declining continuously over the last few years.
Last year, Pakistan produced around 9.18 million bales of cotton whereas in 2014-15, its production was 13.96 million bales.
Last year, the output of wheat and sugarcane was also insufficient to meet the country’s needs. Owing to this, the government had to import both sugar and wheat, which placed an additional burden on the national exchequer.
If we look at productivity, Pakistan’s per acre yield of major crops is less than that of other countries in the region. Unfortunately, this gap is widening further. There is an urgent need to study the factors and put in all efforts to revive the sector.

There is a long list of problems that need to be addressed. However, this piece will cover only some of those and the rest will be discussed sometime later.


Research centres

First, there is a need to restructure the agricultural research institutes. In line with the best global practices, the pay and incentive structure must be revised and linked with the output on the ground.

If we link the research institutes with industries and develop a revenue-sharing mechanism, such that part of revenue from a newly developed or improved product goes to the institution and the researcher also gets a fixed percentage, then this will not only incentivise the development of quality seeds, better pesticides and good farm techniques, but will also help increase the budget of such institutes.

Departments of agriculture at provincial levels are not playing their role actively. In fact, their performance has deteriorated over time. In the past, the Punjab agriculture department used to lease small pieces of land in various villages to cultivate crops with the help of local farmers by applying new techniques and latest research.

Field officers and other staff of the department used to visit and examine the land with the farmers and briefed them about their experiences. Such arrangements acted as field schools for the farmers, who could learn and update their farming skills by listening to the experts and observing the outcome of newly applied techniques.


However, now for more than a decade, not such activity has been noted anywhere. Instead, the agriculture department arranges seminars in expensive hotels in cities, thus limiting the access of small farmers to such sessions.

Apart from that, these seminars are arranged with the support of pesticide, fertiliser or seed companies. This gives birth to serious conflict of interest and the recommendations given through such platforms are not trusted.

The absence of guidelines from independent sources has left farmers at the mercy of sales agents of the pesticide, fertiliser and seed firms. Students of economics know that firms aim to maximise profit by selling maximum quantity and at the highest possible price, but this leads to an increase in the cost of agriculture production.

Therefore, there is a need to think of the role of agriculture departments in the provinces.


Water scarcity

Water shortage is another issue that is affecting agricultural output. Pakistan has not built any major dam for decades, therefore, the scarcity of water is affecting every sector and its consequences can be more severe in future.
Experts call for adopting modern irrigation systems such as drip irrigation and sprinkle irrigation, as embraced by various countries. The government, with the help of global financial institutions, is working to facilitate the adoption of such technologies, but all suggestions and actions ignore the fact that in Pakistan a majority of the farmers hold small-sized farms (of less than 12.5 acres).
These farmers cannot afford to switch to these technologies as they require heavy investment, even after subsidies are provided. Unfortunately, these farmers also have limited access to financial support from banks for various reasons.
Therefore, there is a need to provide solutions that can remove the constraints. Unfortunately, not a single solution has been proposed by any publicly funded research institute or department.
Fortunately, Pedavar, an NGO led by a renowned agricultural expert and run by farmers themselves, has come up with a cheap solution. They favour the cultivation of crops on raised beds and keeping the beds covered with residual of the previous crop. This slows down the evaporation process and keeps the beds wet for a long period, thus the farmers do not need to water the fields for a longer period.
As per Pedavar, it not only results in 70% reduction in water consumption, but the residual also keeps the fertility of soil high, thus fertiliser is not needed, which further slashes the cost.
Food crops cultivated as per the proposed system can be sold as organic food in the global market. This way, exports and foreign exchange earnings can be multiplied.
Agriculture departments and research centres can test the system. If it works, then they must educate the farmers at grassroots level. Setting up field schools for the purpose, as Punjab did in the past, will accelerate its adoption.
It needs to be pointed out that most of the graduates in the field of agriculture end up joining the sales teams of pesticide, fertiliser and seed companies. This is apparently the field of marketing graduates and a graduate in agriculture should ideally take farming as the profession as the knowledge he/she has gained will be utilised better.
The government can introduce an incentive programme which encourages the agricultural graduates to join farming as the profession. Incentives can include leasing public land to the graduates at concessionary rates, priority access to loans, etc.
The writer is a PhD scholar in Economics at IBA Karachi


Published in The Express Tribune, March 29th, 2021.

 

[ghazi52]

Wheat production this year may surpass previous records with a big margin, crossing 28.75 million tons, two million tons more than the previous high of 26.67 million tons in 2016/17, according to a survey conducted.

The report sated that if the harvest gives the output that is expected then Pakistan may not require further imports at least in considerable quantities.

Due to the two back-to-back failures of crops, Pakistan had to import over two million tonnes during the last year to meet the shortfall in grain production.

In Punjab, having share of around 75 percent in total production, wheat harvest may hover around 21.75 million this year. Against the official estimates of more than 33 maunds per acre, farmers seem more upbeat about harvesting much greater output of wheat in 2020/21 season. “We have never heard so consistently about 40-45 maunds per acre yield by so many growers this year,” said Ibrahim Mughal, chairman of Agri-Forum Pakistan.

 

[ghazi52]

China to help Pakistan in its irrigation practices

April 13, 2021

SOURCEthenews.com.pk




During an interview with China Economic Net, Dr. Gong Shihong, Deputy-Director of Department of Irrigation and Drainage, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research has said that China will empower China-Pak irrigation cooperation. He further said that China has recently established an international cooperation office to facilitate the communication between Chinese and Pakistani companies in irrigation technologies and products. Moreover, he said that their International Office will serve as a bridge between Chinese and Pakistani irrigation enterprises
BEIJING: A Chinese Association will empower China-Pak irrigation cooperation, China Economic Net (CEN) reported it on Monday.“We have recently established an international cooperation office to facilitate the communication between Chinese and Pakistani companies in irrigation technologies and products.”

This was stated by Dr. Gong Shihong, Deputy-Director of Department of Irrigation and Drainage, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), and Director of Agricultural Water-saving Equipment Division of China Agricultural Water-saving and Rural Drinking Water Supply Technology Association, in an interview with CEN. The International Office, a department devoted to international cooperation under China Water-saving Association, will serve as a bridge between Chinese and Pakistani irrigation enterprises.

 

[ghazi52]

 

[ghazi52]

Agriculture sector is being linked to CPEC to facilitate farming community: PM

• Imran says Pakistan is heading towards modern agriculture and the use of new technology will help curb corruption in the sector
• The government is taking help from the private sector to facilitate the farming community and carry out experiments to boost agriculture, says premier

Fahad Zulfikar
26 Apr 2021


(Karachi) Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan is heading towards modern agriculture and the use of new technology will help curb corruption in the sector.

Addressing the Kisan card distribution ceremony in Multan on Monday, Imran said that the agriculture sector is being linked with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. "Farmers are the backbone of the country," the PM remarked.

He stated that the government is taking help from the private sector to facilitate the farming community and carry out experiments to boost agriculture. "We have sought support from China in the field of agriculture," he said.

The premier highlighted that the government will provide relief to farmers in case the crops are destroyed.

The progress of farmers will ultimately uplift the country. The premier said the farmers of wheat earned Rs500 billion for their crops and the rate of the wheat crop increased by Rs500 during the so far tenure of the incumbent government.

 

[ghazi52]

Government of Punjab issued a farmer card to directly deliver government subsidy to farmers as cash transfer:
You can get fertilizer, seeds and agricultural poison at a discounted price from the cultivated dealer through the farmer card.
Open your account after verifying your thumb at HBL Connect shop to get a registered Farmer Card
▪︎ Contact local staff of Agriculture Department (Extension) for unregistered farming registration
▪︎ For more information or details contact Agricultural Helpline

 

[Path-Finder]

 

[ghazi52]

Farmers need to opt for latest irrigation technology

Growers body suggests Sindh should install telemetry system on all canals


Usman Hanif
May 11, 2021

PHOTO: REUTERS

KARACHI: In order to develop an efficient irrigation system, the government should help farmers in Sindh to opt for latest technology.

“When the environment changes, the first area to get affected is the agriculture sector, which in Pakistan uses 90% of water,” said Aamer Hayat Bhandara, Co-Founder of Agriculture Republic - a small farmer support network for finding innovative policy and practical solutions to national food security and climate change challenges.

Out of that 90% water, 80% was used by five major crops in Pakistan which included wheat, rice, cotton, maize and sugarcane, he said.

Bhandara highlighted that Pakistan’s productivity in terms of irrigation was one of the lowest in the world as a majority of the farmers used the ancient flood irrigation system. “The country’s watercourse system needs a complete overhaul,” he emphasised. The government of Sindh, with support of the federal government, should install a telemetry system on all the 14 offtake canals linked with barrages, suggested the Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB).

Real-time information of the flow of canals would improve governance, enhance transparency and efficiency, it said.

SAB Senior Vice President Mehmood Nawaz Shah stated that it was now believed that freshwater flow was the only water that was recharged in aquifers, wells, etc. “Therefore, focus should be on farm water efficiency.”

Moreover, in addition to the World Bank’s ongoing programme for drip and sprinkler irrigation, the lining of watercourses should be increased and at least 75% of 57,500 watercourses should be targeted, Shah stated.

“In addition to this, irrigation infrastructure, including gates, structures, etc is not in optimum condition, therefore new systems such as mechanically operated gates should be installed and damaged structures should be repaired,” he suggested.

Sindh Chamber of Agriculture President Miran Muhammad Shah urged the Sindh government to invest in solar systems for the agriculture sector. A vast area of Sindh agricultural land was irrigated by tube wells which did not get electricity regularly from the grid due to load-shedding, he said.

Sindh being the southernmost province is affected by the polluted water coming from Balochistan and Punjab and therefore, it has affected the Indus River, which is now considered as one of the most polluted rivers in the world.

Along with the Indus River, the system linked with it like the aquifers, wells and lakes is also affected, according to SAB. The board suggested that one-window operation - where immediate approvals were given for electricity, drainage, loan and other facilities - should be initiated for the industry for storage in controlled atmosphere, fruit and vegetable processing, etc.


Published in The Express Tribune, May 11th, 2021.