Pakistan Agriculture Developments

[khail007]

Three olive procurement centres established in Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI/ SIALKOT (APP): The provincial agriculture department has established three olive procurement centers in Rawalpindi division.

According to the Director Arid Agriculture Research Centre, Mr Tariq, all the growers of Chakwal, Attock and Fateh Jang have been asked to bring graded olive fruits to the authorized procurement centers set up in their areas for having better financial returns.

Meanwhile, the procurement centers have been providing crates to the farmers for packing the fruit.

According to the agriculture experts, soil and environment of the Potohar region is best suited for growing of the cash crop of olive in the province.

They have recommended that the growers may switch over to grow olives. Meanwhile, Livestock Department has given essential training about livestock caring to 1,040 male and female farmers in Narowal district, with a stipend of Rs 5,600 each.

According to Assistant Director Livestock Narowal Dr Saima Irum Syed, the training would help farmers take the best care of their cattle-heads. It will ensure their better growth and development in the local livestock sector, she added.

Thanks for this valuable thread, the vital information about one of the pillars of motherland 's economy in one thread. Its like 'کوزے میں دریا'.

 

[ghazi52]

Businessmen eying Chinese market for mango export


BEIJING - keeping in view the high demand of Pakistani mangoes in the Chinese market, Pakistani business community is planning to export up to 3,000 tons of mangoes to China from next year, Roshan Enterprises Chairman Khalid Ejaz Qureshi said.

“We have received a positive response from China about Pakistani mangoes and as a result, we are planning to export 2,000 to 3,000 tons mangoes to big Chinese market from next year,” he told APP. He said the mango export would depend on air logistics and support of other departments concerned. “We are negotiating with the airline in this regard,” he added.

At present, mangoes are heavily exported to Middle East, Europe, US and Hong Kong from Pakistan and now Chinese market is open for Pakistani mangoes, he added. He said that Pakistani mangoes having more than 400 varieties are considered one of the best in the world. The most popular commercial varieties are different in colours and sizes and each with a distinct flavour and taste. Mango called as king of fruits in Pakistan, is grown in Punjab and Sindh and is available in the markets in abundant from May to September.

Mango is mainly used as fresh but it is also used in preparing different derivative such as jams, squash, milkshake and ice cream. This fruit is also dried and canned while raw mango is used preparing pickles. ‘Chaunsa’ and ‘Sindhri’ are popular varieties and stand up amongst mangoes with golden yellow colour. The ripe fruit is soft almost and has an aromatic pleasant sweet flavour.

It may be mentioned here that Pakistani exporters Khalid Ejaz Qureshi of Roshan Enterprises and Mazhar Abro of Sindh Mango Growers and Exporters Association have recently organised a 'mango show' in collaboration with Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company at Pakistan Embassy in Beijing to introduce Pakistani mangoes in China. The different varieties of king of fruits were showcased at the show to enhance its export to China. The event attracted a large number of people including high ranking Chinese officials, local business community and senior diplomats of the two countries.

http://nation.com.pk/business/01-Sep...r-mango-export

 

[ghazi52]

Govt exploring markets for export of meat, dairy products

http://nation.com.pk/business/05-Sep...dairy-products

ISLAMABAD - The government is exploring new markets for export of meat and dairy products with focus on Global Halal Food Trade.

The official sources told Radio Pakistan that many Muslim countries are dependent on imported meat and Pakistan can significantly increase its exports by focusing on modern and hygienic slaughter houses that can meet international standards for frozen or chilled red meat.

They said efforts are being made for market access in Russia, China, South Africa, Egypt, Hong Kong and Indonesia besides Middle-East countries for meat and meat products. The sources said the United Arab Emirates has lifted ban on import of poultry and poultry products from Pakistan. This would go a long way in promoting export of poultry products. They said Netherlands-based multinational company Friesland has acquired 51 percent share of Engro Food Pakistan, which is one of the largest private sector Foreign Direct Investment in dairy sector of Pakistan amounting to $450 million.
............................................................................................

A trout fish farm in Swat. Fresh water fish hatcheries are becoming increasingly popular all over Pakistan

 

[ghazi52]

LAHORE - The Smeda has planned to set up fruits, vegetables and condiments processing and mango pulping centres at Naushehroferoze and Mirpurkhas with a total cost of Rs535.106 million and Rs575.4 million, respectively.

Smeda Chief Executive Officer Sher Ayub has advised the provincial office of Smeda Sindh to start implementation on these projects within the current financial year. The main objectives of the schemes are to provide common facility services in ripening, sterilisation, pulping, sorting, grading and packaging of fruits and vegetables, the Smeda CEO said. He further said that state-of-the-art agro processing machinery, costing around Rs623 million, will be installed for the two model facilitates, which will enable local stakeholders to increase their profitability in domestic markets and gain access to international markets for value-added horticulture produce.

Meanwhile, Smeda Sindh Chief Mukesh Kumar has reported to the Smeda CEO that Bahria Foundation and Smeda are working together for creating better infrastructure facilities to promote the horticulture sector in Sindh. Bahria Foundation Deputy Managing Director Syed Imdad Imam Jafri, in a recent meeting held at Smeda-Sindh office, acknowledged the valuable cooperation of Smeda in establishment of a modern Cold Storage (CA) facility by Bahria Foundation in Karachi with a cost of around Rs350 million.

He told that the Bahria Foundation deputy managing director had expressed deep interest in establishing infrastructure projects in the logistics, power, auto-assembling and tourism sectors.

The Smeda will assist Bahria Foundation in project viability assessment and establishment of projects for electric motorcycle assembling, wind power, cement and tourism services in Tharparkar, the Smeda-Sindh chief said.

 

[ghazi52]

In a first, Pakistan to export white rice to Indonesia

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani firms have secured an order to export 65,000 tons of white rice (non-Basmati) to Indonesia, said the Ministry of Commerce on Saturday. This would be the first time Pakistan would be exporting white rice to Indonesia.

The two countries have recently agreed to revise their preferential trade agreement (PTA) to make it mutually beneficial and address the imbalance in bilateral trade. Pakistan-Indonesia’s bilateral trade volume increased from $1.23 billion in 2011-12 to $2.44 billion in financial year 2016-17.

However, ever since the PTA with Indonesia became operational in 2013, Pakistan’s exports have been on a negative trajectory, coming down from $196 million in 2012-13 to $138 million in 2016-17.



Punjab promotes sunflower cultivation

SIALKOT: The Punjab government has formulated a plan for the promotion of sunflower and other oilseed crops in the province. Under the programme, sunflower will be cultivated on more than 200,000 acres of land in different areas of the province. The agriculture department said that the step was being taken to produce the maximum edible oil aimed at lessening its import. At present, only 34% edible oil is being produced in the country, while 66% is being imported for catering to domestic needs. Sunflower would be cultivated in Sialkot on 250 acres, Daska on 2,250 acres, Pasrur on 1,500 acres and 2,000 acres in Sambrial, they said. The agriculture department would extend full cooperation and assistance to sunflower growers in Punjab, officials added. The department has directed the growers to complete sowing by mid-February.

 

[ghazi52]

Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif will inaugurate a scheme to provide free android smartphones to 110,000 farmers in the province tomorrow. Objective of the scheme is to keep the farmers updated about Agriculture Department's recommendations about their crops

 

[ghazi52]

Weed removal awareness campaign from tomorrow

LAHORE: The Punjab Agriculture department has announced to start weed removal awareness campaign in the province at tehsil and district levels from March 12-17. According to the agriculture department sources on Saturday, per acre yield of crops get affected up to 40 to 45 per cent due to weeds. During the campaign, farmers would be provided information regarding methods to remove weeds, the sources added. Meanwhile, Punjab Agriculture department has urged the farmers to install drip irrigation system in their fields as it is cost effective and offers handsome return. Talking to Radio Pakistan, spokesman of the department Najaf Abbas said that the government has initiated various projects to promote modern system of irrigation. He said the government is providing 60 percent subsidy on installation of the drip irrigation system however the farmers will spend remaining 40 percent. He informed that 80 percent subsidy is being given for running drip irrigation system on solar system.

He said that sprinkle irrigation system with solar system has been installed on an area of more than 1,500 acres in Punjab.

 

[ghazi52]

Indigenous effort: With hybrid seeds, rice output can rise 2 million tons

LAHORE: High-yielding hybrid rice is going to cross 50% of the total area planted with paddy in the next three years from the current range of 25% to 30%, which will increase the output by 2 million tons, said Guard Rice Research and Services CEO Shahzad Ali Malik.

Plantation of hybrid rice seeds in Pakistan is being spearheaded by national seed companies, mainly in collaboration with Chinese firm Guard Agri.

Several multinational seed companies like Monsanto, Pioneer, Syngenta and Bayer did try to introduce hybrid rice seeds, but failed to outperform the national seed companies, Malik claimed.

 

[ghazi52]

OSTRICH farming is becoming popular in the country, as more and more investors are entering the promising market of low-fat, “organic” red meat.

Although alien to the local environment, the ostrich is fast becoming popular for farming in Punjab, where it has been declared a part of livestock and can be raised by farmers and citizens without need for a licence.

Two years ago, the number of ostrich farmers in the country was around 70. The number has now crossed the mark of 200 just in Punjab. At least 160 farmers rearing 6,500 birds have so far been registered during the ongoing year while 52 farmers bringing up 3,500 ostriches were registered the previous year, says Dr Atif Rai of the livestock department.

Commercial ostrich farming began in South Africa more than 150 years ago, mostly for its feathers and hide. It has now spread to around 100 countries across the globe. Its farming is being done with official support in some countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel and some African countries.


The Food and Agriculture Organisation says ostrich is the bird for the next millennium that may help ensure food and protein security in the globe, particularly in the Muslim world where pork is not consumed. However, Pakistan is slowly waking up to the ostrich potential, and the bird is still considered a wild species except in Punjab.

An official of the Pakistan Ostrich Company says it has been working in Sindh, particularly in Karachi, for the last many years with poor results mainly because of law or order situation and disinterest of the provincial authorities.

But within four months of the launch of the Punjab Ostrich Development Project in 2016, 85 new farms of the bird have been established, and for the first time the availability of birds for marketing ostrich meat became possible, he says.

Punjab Livestock Secretary Naseem Sadiq says farmers responded positively when the government offered Rs10,000 per bird on an annual basis to those registered with the department. The subsidy is available to a farmer who rears between 25 and 100 birds, he says.

In fact, lack of market had been another major hurdle in promoting ostrich farming in the past, he says. Keeping this in view, the department is making arrangements for marketing meat through launching awareness drives and setting up stalls at various exhibitions throughout the province.

“We’ve so far set up nine outlets of ostrich meat and brought 17 hotels into the meat supply chain in Punjab,” he adds. These outlets are functioning in Lahore, Faisalabad, Okara, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Rawalpindi.

Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd has given an additional push to the efforts by offering Rs2 million loan per applicant for setting up “farm of the future”, as ostrich farming is often called, an official of the bank reveals.

Hinting at the vast potential of ostrich farming, Mr Sadiq by points out that around 25,000 poultry sheds are lying vacant in the province which may be useful in rearing the large bird, while lucerne (fodder), the major component of its feed, is easily and cheaply available all over Punjab.

At present, ostrich chicks are imported, which are not only expensive but they also take time in acclimatising to the local atmosphere. Therefore, the Punjab government has also taken the initiative of introducing local breeding of the bird.

As a financial incentive, local breeders with ostriches up to the age of 2.5 years are being offered an annual subsidy of Rs10,000 per bird. Dr Rai of the livestock department says it has so far registered 13 breeders rearing 400 birds during the last two months. He believes that the number of birds will reach up to 1,000 by the end of this month.

Terming it the future bird for its being climate-friendly, Dr Nasir Mukhtar of the Ostrich Research and Development Institute at Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, says an ostrich generates just 17kg of methane gas per year while a buffalo or cow produces 73kg per year methane, a factor behind climate change.

 

[ghazi52]

Protein rich food: Fisheries dept to set up four hatcheries

MULTAN: The Punjab Fisheries Department is establishing four fish hatcheries in Multan division with an objective to promote protein-rich food in the region, said assistant director fisheries Ibrar Gujjar.

Talking to APP, he said the new fish hatcheries are being made, two in Khanewal, one each in Lodhran and Vehari.

Gujjar said that new fish hatcheries were being developed after recommendations from various MPAs of the region. South Punjab is rich in production of fish, he said, adding that about 80% of the fish was produced in Multan, Khanewal and Muzaffargarh.

 

[FuturePAF]

Does anyone know the current average annual milk production per cow in Pakistan? Does anyone know the current average weight of a cow, goat, lamb, chicken at time of slaughter? How many cows, goats, lambs, and chickens are raised per 1000 acres of land in Pakistan. A few strange questions out of the blue. For Example; Currently in Europe each diary cow produces 12,000 liters of milk annually; to the point where they have an excess of milk. The surplus is exported as diary products. Pakistan needs to seek investment from first of foremost Overseas Pakistanis to modernize the agricultural industry. Naturally, the profits would be in the hands of Pakistanis; who would be most inclined to reinvest the money back into Pakistan, and the cycle would continue.

The government or NGOs should help current farmers to use Precision agriculture Methods like using drones to manage the most effective use of pesticides and seed placements; soil management and places where water is not properly reaching crops and for all these where resources are being wasted. These techniques on top of using higher yield seeds can improve yield with minimal investments.

https://www.farmersedge.ca/satellite-imagery/

 

[ghazi52]

Faisalabad completes canals lining with Rs 26b Japan loan

FAISALABAD - With Japanese soft loan of Rs 26 billion Faisalabad Irrigation Zone has become the first zone in Punjab to complete 100 percent rehabilitation / lining of canals.

"The supply of water in short/dry trails have recorded an improvement of 69 to 100 percent with the completion of projects," claimed Faisalabad Irrigation Department Chief Engineer Rana Asif Mehmood. Briefing a group of visiting Islamabad-based journalists here, he said that from 2002 to 2016 Japan has provided soft loans of Rs 26 billion for various irrigation projects in Faisalabad.

He said "There are six irrigation zones in Punjab and Faisalabad is the first one to obtain 100 percent rehabilitation/lining of canals."

Flanked by Shinichi Honda, First Secretary Economic and Development Section Japan Embassy, Rana said that in phase-I of Punjab Irrigation System Improvement Project (PISIP), with Japan's help, they were able to complete work on 156 km rehabilitation of Lower Chenab Canal system.

The Lower Chenab Canal (LCC) off-taking from Khanki Head Works located in Gujranwala district on river Chenab was constructed in 1892-98, he said.

 

[ghazi52]

Fishery exports can cross $1 billion

ISLAMABAD: With the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and related infrastructure development in Sindh and Balochistan, Pakistan’s exports in the fisheries sector have the potential to cross the $1-billion mark a year, against the current annual export of around $400 million. Pakistan’s exports of fishery products stand at about 0.25% of world exports. Other than a huge domestic market, Pakistan has an export market for fish and fish products and around 30% of the total produce is exported to 30 countries of the world, stated a latest report titled, ‘The state of economy: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Review and Analysis’, issued by The Shahid Javed Burki Institute of Public Policy at NtSol. According to the report, the fisheries sector in Balochistan is a major source of employment for people residing along the coastal belt.

 

[ghazi52]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday signed two loan agreements worth $375 million in an effort to improve irrigation services and promote public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Punjab – the country’s most populated province that produces 80% of the agricultural output.

Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday signed two loan agreements worth $375 million in an effort to improve irrigation services and promote public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Punjab – the country’s most populated province that produces 80% of the agricultural output.

The loan agreements were inked by ADB Country Director for Pakistan Xiaohong Yang and Economic Affairs Division Secretary Syed Ghazanfar Abbas Jilani.

 

[ghazi52]

French firm keen to provide hi-tech milk, food cooling systems to Pakistan
May 19, 2018


A French company in the bulk food-grade liquid conservation and processing sector has showed keen interest to supply state-of-the-art hi-tech milk and food cooling integrated systems to Pakistan, reported by Radio Pakistan.

Company Chief Eric Boitin expressed his company's interest while briefing the Ambassador of Pakistan to France Moin ul Haque.

Eric Boitin said his company has keen to engage with the fast developing dairy industry of Pakistan and help in the modernization of milk collection and cooling processes.

Welcoming its interest, Ambassador Moin ul Haque said Pakistan being the third largest milk producer of the world wants to expand and modernize its milk and food processing capability to prevent wastage.