Pakistan Agriculture Developments

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With rains, crop outlook improves​

Rainfall provides required water to kick-start sowing of major Kharif crops


Salman Siddiqu
July 10, 2022

Pakistan produces rice and sugar in surplus quantity, which is more than the domestic requirement.

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KARACHI: The widespread monsoon rains have improved the outlook for major summer (Kharif) crops as water has become available for plantations.

The recent rainfall has provided the required water to kick-start the sowing of major Kharif crops including cotton, paddy (raw rice), sugarcane and maize, which were delayed earlier by almost a month because of water scarcity.

“There was 40% less water available for the Kharif season (during May-June 2022),” an official of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research said while talking to The Express Tribune on Saturday.

The high-powered Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) said on March 31, 2022 “for the Kharif year 2022, the water availability in canals head will be 65.84 million acre feet (MAF) against last year’s 65.08 MAF”.

“Cotton production is expected to improve to 9.5-10 million bales (one bale weighs 170 kg) in the wake of ongoing rainfall in cotton belts in Punjab and Sindh,” said Pakistan Central Cotton Committee Vice President Dr Muhammad Ali Talpur.

“Cotton production will remain high, as farmers have improved crop management in the backdrop of higher prices in the domestic (and international) market.”

However, the output will remain lower by 5-10% compared to the initial production target of 10.5 million bales of cotton due to sowing over less-than-targeted area across the country.

Farmers have started the first round of picking seed cotton – raw cotton containing seed and lint – in southern Sindh. They are yet to harvest the crop in northern Sindh and Punjab.

“Low water availability, however, has delayed the second round of cotton production,” said Sindh Abadgar Board Vice President Syed Mahmood Nawaz Shah last week.

Cotton is a water-sensitive crop, which may be damaged in heavy showers. “The cr
op cannot survive if the rain water stands in the fields for over 24 to 48 hours,” Talpur said.
However, the paddy and sugarcane crops are water resilient. They have the ability to survive in slightly heavy rainfall. Besides, the paddy can be cultivated despite the recent delay, unlike cotton which could not be sown if it has not rained.

Pakistan produces rice and sugar in surplus quantity, which is more than the domestic requirement. “It produced 9.8 million tons of rice and 7.8 million tons of sugar against the domestic demand for 6.2 million tons for the sweetener last year,” Talpur said.

More rains cannot be ruled out in the middle of the monsoon season. “July (historically) remains a tough month for farmers from the raining point of view,” said Pakistan Metrological Department in its recent forecast.

“The area weighted normal rainfall in Pakistan during July-September is 140.8 mm,” it said on July 4.

In March, the FCA held detailed deliberations on the production targets for the essential Kharif crops of 2022-23 and decided to fix the cotton production target at 11 million bales from an area of 2.5 million hectares.

It fixed the rice production target at 8.6 million tons from plantatiosn over an area of 3.1 million hectares.

The committee fixed the sugarcane production target (2022-23) at 78.6 million tons over an area of 1.2 million hectares. Targets for other crops such as maize, moong, mash and chilli were also fixed.

The meteorological department said that overall normal rainfall was likely to occur all over the country, the FCA told the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

“Sindh and Kashmir are likely to receive slightly above normal (+10%) rainfall during August and September. The area weighted normal rainfall in Pakistan during July-September is expected to be 140.8mm.”

Sindh Abadgar Board’s Shah said there was a notable delay in the sowing of major summer (Kharif) crops including paddy (rice) and cotton due to the unavailability of water
in June.

However, a large section of farmers prepared the land in June for sowing the crops on hopes of water supply soon.

“Paddy can be sown despite a notable delay, unlike cotton which cannot be planted if the sowing time has passed,” he said.

FCA was informed that rice and maize seeds would be available as per requirement.

A representative of the State Bank of Pakistan said the allocation of institutional credit for agriculture had substantially increased to Rs1,700 billion in 2021-22 and the disbursement up to January 2022 was Rs740.3 billion, which was 43.5% of the annual target of Rs1,700 billion and was 3.4% higher than the disbursement of Rs715.6 billion during
last year.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10th, 2022.

 

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Chinese techs expected to raise Pakistan tomato production​

China Economic Net

XIANYANG, July. 12 (China Economic Net)- "Compared with wheat, cotton, rapeseed or beans, tomatoes require more fertilizers. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potash fertilizer are all essential.

Besides, zinc, boron and other micronutrients can make it grow better. This means that farmers have to spend more to grow it. However, in recent years, the price of tomatoes in Pakistan has fluctuated very frequently, which is beyond our control. If the price fluctuates too much, the low price will cause farmers to suffer great losses, which greatly affects their enthusiasm, and in turn leads to a subsequent drop in production.

Generally speaking, in Punjab, the largest tomato-producing region, April to May marks the start of the tomato high season. But this year, I’m not sure about that," noted Dr Syed Ahmad, Principal Scientist of Vegetable Research Institute, Faisalabad in an exclusive interview with China Economic Net.

Tomatoes growing in greenhouses in Pakistan [Photo provided to CEN]

Dr Nadar K, Senior Scientific Officer at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), indicated that in Pakistan, tomatoes have a total annual production of around 529,600 tonnes and an average yield of 9.2 tonnes per hectare.

The downward trend in the prices of tomatoes, which are an indispensable part of most of dishes in the country, has been seen in Sindh province since early January. Muzzammil Aslam, Spokesperson to Finance Minister, also noted on January that the price of tomato has fallen to Rs35 at retail in Karachi, the biggest consumer center of the country.

So, what caused it? Reasons for the inequalities are complex. “Although it is the farmers’ decision on what and how much to plant, but at the government decision-making level, we lack an institution, or a system, to provide farmers with policy guidance on a macro level, so as to avoid blindly planting or abandoning a certain crop, which lead to yield fluctuation,” Dr Ahmad emphasized. If farmers don’t get good returns after a year of hard work, they would be disappointed and cut back on planting, and Pakistan has to import a lot of tomatoes, which are a must in most of the country's daily dishes.

A local farmer tending tomatoes in a greenhouse [Photo provided to CEN]

In addition, the lack of advanced agricultural technology is also a key factor affecting the tomato production in Pakistan. “Growing tomatoes on ordinary land is affordable for most farmers. But if you use hydroponics or soilless cultivation, it will add a lot of cost,” Dr Ahmad told CEN. If a reasonably priced hydroponics or soilless culture technology can be introduced into Pakistan to guarantee the input-output ratio of farmers, he believes that this will be an excellent cooperation opportunity.

“At present, there are 13 varieties of tomatoes planted in our industrial park, of which TOMIMARU and DRC564 have the highest yields, with the yield per square meter reaching 40 kg and 60 kg respectively.

In addition, they have beautiful fruit shape, long storage life, and strong resistance to diseases and insect pests,” Zhang Lin, the head of Shaanxi Yangling Aoda Modern Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., mentioned while interviewing CEN, “In order to promote the development of the park to a higher level, we will actively consider launching international cooperation plans such as talent export, technical cooperation and exchanges with other countries especially countries along the Belt and Road.”

The greenhouse of Shaanxi Yangling Aoda Modern Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. [Photo provided to CEN]

According to Zhang, Pakistan is facing problems such as lagging agricultural modernization, low level of mechanization, and confusing use of fertilizers and pesticides, all of which China has also encountered before.

Promotion of soilless cultivation, improvement of shed facilities, selection of excellent varieties and strengthening of water and fertilizer integration, each link of facility agriculture is closely related to the yield and quality.

“Nowadays, our greenhouses are equipped with facilities such as sunshades, heat preservation curtains, heating pipes, high-pressure sprays, circulating fans, temperature and humidity sensors, and irrigation systems to jointly regulate the planting environment in the park,” Zhang analyzed that Yangling is located in the arid and semi-arid areas of northwestern China, which also face water shortages like Pakistan. In response to this problem, the park adopts a combination of groundwater and tap water irrigation, collecting groundwater and also designing a 3,000-cubic-meter reservoir to collect rainwater and purify it as an irrigation reserve.

Tomatoes growing in a greenhouse with water and fertilizer integration technology [Photo provided to CEN]

As for another major factor limiting tomato production in Pakistan, pests and diseases, Dr Ahmad also pointed out that late blight and tomato virus disease can cause severe reduction in production, while main pests such as cotton bollworm and leaf miner can cause great harm to leaves, flowers and fruits in the growing period. In this regard, Zhang introduced a combination of physical and chemical control measures, focusing on prevention.

At the same time, in order to avoid affecting soil quality, the use of various chemical fertilizers and pesticides should be minimized, and key prevention should be carried out in the early stage of pests and diseases based on previous planting experience and climatic conditions. In case of pests and diseases the combination of drug spraying and fumigation is relatively efficient.

“When it comes to cooperation, to my point of view, tomato value-added products must be our top priority. If Chinese and Pakistani investors can cooperate in the field of value-added products, in our major tomato-producing areas such as Punjab, tomatoes will be sold in large quantities during the peak period, which will inevitably lead to a drop in prices.

At this time, if tomatoes can be purchased at a reasonable price and processed into by-products, farmers will not suffer losses,” Dr Ahmad suggested, “In addition, in terms of germplasm resources and technology introduction, it is also necessary for us to cooperate to bring all-round industrial upgrading to Pakistan's tomato industry.”

 

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Jaggery exporters demand withdrawal of ban​

Traders argue export of commodity will not cause sugar shortage

Our Correspondent
July 13, 2022

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KARACHI: Traders have asked the sugar commissioner and Sugar Advisory Board members to recommend the lifting of ban on jaggery (gur) export in an upcoming meeting slated for July 20 as millers claim the country has produced surplus sugar.

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) has already recommended to the Ministry of Commerce to permit the export of jaggery. The federal government imposed the ban on jiggery export as sugar was being smuggled out of the country under the garb of jaggery shipments to Afghanistan.

“Jaggery is produced on a very small scale in Pakistan without the help of modern technology,” said Pakistan Businesses Forum (PBF) Vice President Ahmad Jawad. “On the contrary, jaggery is produced in India by the automated efficient plants and small sugar plants. Until we put proper processes in place with pure organic procedures, it will be difficult to increase exports,” he pointed out.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) President Zulfikar Thaver claimed that the commerce ministry had acknowledged that the restriction on jaggery export was unintentional, which came into effect when the country faced shortage of sugar. He pointed out that sugarcane production stood at around 80 million tons while only about 8,000 tons of jaggery could be exported, which was not a big quantity and the two commodities had no comparison.

Hussain Ali Ratnani, a leading exporter of commodities, argued that jaggery was not a medicine or a staple food and export of 10,000 tons would not affect the domestic market. However, sugar is in surplus now and the government is considering allowing its export to fetch foreign exchange.

The Unisame president stressed that the government should not be influenced by the sugar mafia and it should allow the export of jaggery. “Export of gur needs to be based on merit irrespective of the surplus or scarcity of sugar,” he remarked.

The Lahore High Court has already passed an order, saying no provincial or federal government will create any impediment in the production of jaggery and raw sugar. Jawad pointed out that the sugarcane harvested in Peshawar-MardanCharsadda valley was diverted for commercial jaggery production and no sugarcane was available for crushing.

“We don’t have the technology to make our gur an attractive item in the market,” he said, adding that farmers needed equipment for making proper cubes as well as suitable packaging material. On the request of millers for the export of surplus sugar, the PBF official was of the view that there was no harm if the surplus sweetener was exported, which would facilitate the millers in making timely payments to sugarcane farmers.

He, however, did not foresee a bumper crop in the upcoming harvesting of sugarcane because of a severe heat wave in the past two months and the drying of canals. “We hope the ongoing spell of rains may help to improve production.” “There is regular demand for gur from the Gulf, Middle Eastern and European countries,”
Thaver said, adding that India and China were exporting the commodity and earning handsome foreign exchange while Pakistan’s ministry was still mulling over it. “Gur comprises just 0.1% of the sugar production of 8 million tons per annum, so there is no comparison at all,” he remarked.

Apart from that, “the price of jaggery is higher than the sugar rate, so there won’t be any effect”. Earlier, only 8,330 tons of jaggery was exported and if its export is allowed again, it is expected that about 10,000 tons will be shipped. “It’s a very small quantity as compared to 8 million tons of sugar production; there is no justification for stopping gur export.”

 

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World Bank approves $200mn for Pakistan’s agricultural sector​

• Funding to be used to support transforming agricultural sector by adopting climate-smart technologies to improve water-use efficiency, build resilience to extreme weather events and increase the incomes of small farmers

BR
16 Jul, 2022

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on Saturday approved $200 million in financing for Pakistan's agricultural sector.

The funding will be used to support transforming the country’s agricultural sector by adopting climate-smart technologies to improve water-use efficiency, build resilience to extreme weather events and increase the incomes of small farmers, said the World Bank in a statement.

“The agricultural sector in Punjab is central to Pakistan’s economy and food security as it accounts for 73% of the country’s total food production,” said the lender.

The World Bank added that the Punjab Resilient and Inclusive Agriculture Transformation Project (PRIAT) will increase agricultural productivity through efficient and equitable access to water for small farms. The programme will support farmers at the community and household levels to adopt climate-smart farming practices and technologies, said World Bank which will improve crop yields and conserve water resources in Punjab.

“In recent years Pakistan’s agriculture sector has suffered from losses in crop yields and livestock, damage to irrigation infrastructure, and food shortages due to climate change, particularly severe droughts in the Punjab province,” said Najy Benhassine, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan.

“This project aligns with the Punjab Agriculture Policy 2018, which promotes massive expansion of water conservation efforts, enhancing sustainability and resilience in the wake of climate change, and private sector participation to help boost the productivity of the sector.”

PRIAT will support farmers implement innovative, climate-smart technologies to help the Punjab government achieve economies of scale to transform the agricultural sector. The project will engage the private sector in sourcing appropriate technologies and providing training tailored for water user associations and individual households to improve water conservation practices and agriculture productivity.

“The agriculture sector has a huge opportunity to both build climate resilience and improves economic conditions by generating access to domestic and international markets,” said Guo Li, Task Team Leader for the project. “PRIAT will help accelerate the government’s efforts to transform the agri-food system through market-oriented production activities that add value, increase competitiveness and generate higher incomes for farmers.”

World Bank informed that the project will benefit about 190,000 small, family-owned farms and 1.4 million acres of irrigated land in rural communities in the province. “It will also provide training to small- and medium-sized farm owners on water conservation and more sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural practices, including for women,” it said.

 

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PAKISTAN’S UNTAPPED INDUSTRY​

It is believed that grafting wild olives can most likely enable generations to reap its dividends for centuries

BY FAWAD ALI |


PUBLISHED JULY 24, 2022
KARACHI:
Despite having the potential, resources, and capability to become self-sustainable in production of edible oil, Pakistan spends over $4 billion ever year to import this product.
With suitable climate, soil and air for plant that could produce different kinds of oil seeds like sunflower, olive and canola, the country’s production is less than 27 per cent due to decades of negligence. Mountainous areas as well as the plains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Punjab provinces are good especially for olive plantation. However, decades of negligence by the government, as well as lack of expertise and facilities are stopping the industry from becoming sustainable.
There are an estimated 70 million wild olive trees in the mountains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including its merged districts. People mostly cut them to feed their cattle and cook food. They are unaware of the tree’s economic potential and its importance for the environment. Deforestation is taking a toll on the ecosystem in the area, leading to land degradation, soil erosion, and ultimately, unemployment.
With the second highest rate of deforestation in Asia, according to the World Wildlife Fund, Pakistan is losing its ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Incessant large-scale deforestation is causing prolong droughts, rising heatwaves, erratic rain patterns and sudden flash floods. These devastating impacts are outpacing Pakistan’s efforts to deal with climate change.
Experts say protecting forests from deforestation requires people to save existing ecosystems and plant more, since this could help bolster the livelihoods of communities where they grow. Grafting millions of wild olive trees, which entails joining the upper part of plants so they grow together, is an agricultural technique that requires little effort but could produce major dividends.
Pakistan deforestation
Pakistan is fast losing its forests cover. In 2010, it had 648kha of tree cover, extending over 0.74% of its land area. It lost 63.2ha of tree cover, equivalent to 23.5kt of CO2 emissions in 2021, according to a Global Watch report. Forests fires have reduced KP’s green cover further. According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Department, 14,300 acres of forests were burnt from recent fires in the province.
To offset this destruction, experts urge people in Pakistan to consider grafting to generate money from these trees. “This will not only save our forests from being cut down, but provide a sustainable food chain, create jobs for hundreds of thousands of people and reduce dependence on oil imports,” said Dr Abdur Rahman, Project Director at the Agriculture Research Center, Tarnab Peshawar.
The research center estimates that there are over 50 million wild olive trees in Malakand division alone, which if grafted, could help Pakistan generate millions of dollars. Pakistan ranks among the top five edible oil importing countries, despite having the potential to produce its own product. According to the Bank of Pakistan’s data, Pakistan spent $4 billion during the 2021 importing edible oil. Pakistan imports 75 percent of its edible oil to meet the country’s demand, of which 94 percent is palm oil, most of it coming from Malaysia.
Pakistan also imports 2.2 million tons of oil seeds every year. Rahman said edible oil seed production is disappointingly low. “Our oil seed production is less than 27 percent.” Pakistan imports canola, sunflower, soybean and olive oil. Canola oil is imported from Canada and Australia, sunflower oil from Ukraine and Russia, and soybean oil from the United States and Argentina.
The government launched a ‘Green Revolution’ in 1960s to increase grain production to meet food demands of the growing population and make the country self-sufficient. It introduced modern techniques, seeds, fertilisers and seeds. As a result, the country’s wheat production increased by 25 percent between 1961-69. To promote olive cultivation on a commercial scale, the government set olive farms in Shinkairi, Abbottabad, Mansehra and Malakand division.
Currently, the Federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments are focusing on the promotion of cultivation of olive plants at the commercial scale. The federal government has distributed over 70,000 olive plants among farmers. However, lack of facilities, poverty and urbanization and lack of awareness regarding the importance of forests is making it hard for these programs to take off.
Hurdles for farmers
“People chop and use wild olive as fodder for animals and fuelwood at homes because this is the only option they have,” said Engr Fida, a resident of Maidan area in the Dir Lower district. He said people have no option but to cut them -- they can’t afford the costly cylinder to refill fuel every few days. Without these crops he said they also can’t arrange fodder for their cattle, which is a lifeline for many.
According to World Wildlife Fund, Pakistan has 4.54 million hectares of land with forest cover, which is well below the recommended threshold of 25 percent. Pakistan loses 0.2 to 0.5 percent of its forests every year, which it is losing sources to store greenhouse gases from the environment. In a report by Justice Jawad Hasan of the Lahore High Court, citing the National Environmental Information System, found that forest cover had reduced from 3.59 million hectares to 3.32 million hectares.
The massive deforestation due to highest rate of deforestation, unplanned urban sprawl, lack of facilities and negligence on part of policy makers has rendered Pakistan vulnerable to climate change.
The German Watch has ranked Pakistan among top ten countries globally most affected by climate change in last 20 years. In its report 2020 report, Climate Risk Index, found that Pakistan has suffered massive economic losses and witnessed extreme weather, floods, droughts and heatwaves since 1999.
An assessment from the Asian Development Bank found the socio-economic costs of environmental degradation is $7 to $14 billion per year. Keeping in view the worsening climate, rising levels of greenhouse gases, droughts, heatwaves and sudden rains inflicting unprecedented damage to infrastructure, experts call for adopting environment-friendly steps and strategies.
“We should save our forests from deforestation [and] plant trees with highest carbon sequestration control warming,” said Professor Dr Hizbullah Khan from the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Peshawar. He lamented that government and residents are resorting to planting non-native trees in an attempt to recover the greenery that has been lost. These strategies are doing more harm to the environment then what the government had expected.
Dr Haroon Khan, head of the Climate Change Cell, at Agriculture University Peshawar, said people were planting Eucalyptus trees, which are not only lowering groundwater levels but rendering the mountains dry. “This is a non-native tree that is taking a toll on local flora and fauna. It doesn’t allow other plants to grow due to which native trees that were panacea to deteriorating environmental have almost lost,” he said.
Industry potential
Wild olives are found in Swat, Dir Upper, Dir Lower, Shangla, Bajauar, North and South Waziristan, Kurram, Abbottabad, Mansehra and parts of Chitral. “It has great potential, that not only rid the province of unemployment but provide quality olive oil at cheap rate apart from reducing import bill,” said Israr Khan, a resident of Talash area of Dir Lower district. Khan has learned grafting techniques under a programme financed by the Pakistan Oil Seed Development Board and has grafted over 0.4 million wild olives so far in his hometown.
Aware of the opportunities the olive industry can offer, he said broken dry wood can be used for small industry like toymaking and can generate millions. He said he is aware of the challenges grafting entail; it takes three to four years for an olive plant to start giving fruits and most farmers are poor who cannot wait so long. However, if this industry can save over four billion dollars annually in imports, spending a few billion rupees to provide facilities and assistance to protect wild olive forests by grafting would be worth it for Pakistan, he said.
Khan is optimistic about the growth and transformation of the sector. He believes it has the potential to provide jobs to thousands of poverty-stricken farmers if they can set up olive nurseries and learn to graft. In the meantime, processing and packing plants can be set up. The government is already targeting culturable waste lands, said Rahman, and so far they have planted quality olive seeds on 11,000 hectares of land. The target for the project is 1.2 million trees and the government has identified 10.17 million hectares of waste land to use for cultivation.
“We do not encourage planting olive on fertile land and in areas where water in is abundance,” Rahman said. Land that is marginal and unable to grow wheat is preferred for olive plantation. “As many as 134 trees are planted on one acre of land that give around two tons of seeds from which 200 to 300 litres of high-quality oil can be extracted.”
The federal government has also installed a processing plant at different parts of KP to facilitate farmers at the center in Peshawar. Plants are also being set up privately in Malakand division. Plants are being imported from Italy and Spain which also providing technical assistance to promote plantation and grafting of olives.
“Olive trees requires less water, care and with highest carbon sequestration ratio,” said Said Ahmad, Chief Planning Officer, Agricultural Department. Keeping in view potential of the country, the International Olive Council has recently granted full membership to Pakistan. If these 70 million wild olives are grafted, the whole nation will harvest its dividends for centuries.

Fawad Ali is a freelance writer. All information and facts provided are the sole responsibility of the writer.

Pakistan’s Untapped Industry | The Express Tribune

It is believed that grafting wild olives can most likely enable generations to reap its dividends for centuries

tribune.com.pk

 

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Super seeds help boost Pakistan’s rice exports​

July 27, 2022




LAHORE: Pakistan’s rice exports grew 23% in fiscal year 2021-22 and reached $2.511 billion compared with $2.041 billion in fiscal year 2020-21.

As per Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Pakistan exported 4.877 million tonnes of rice in FY22 against 3.684 million tonnes in FY21, recording a growth of 32.35%.
Over the past couple of years, areas under rice cultivation have been on the rise.

According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan (2021-22), the crop was sown on 3,537 thousand hectares, showing an increase of 6.1% against 3,335 thousand hectares last year.

The record high output of rice stood at 9.323 million tonnes during 2021-22, higher by 10.7% than previous year’s production of 8.420 million tonnes.

In addition to the increase in acreage, the increase in rice production is another important factor contributing to the surge in Pakistan’s rice exports.

The renewal of good varieties and the use of advanced technology are essential factors for achieving high yields. Hybrid rice from China has replaced some backward local varieties.

Longping South Asia Seed R&D Centre has bred high-yield varieties with strong stress resistance in Pakistan.

Pakistan Hi-Tech Hybrid Seed Association (PHHSA) Chairman Shahzad Ali Malik maintained that the regular use of hi-tech hybrid seeds in agriculture can contribute a lot to achieving an ambitious $35 billion export target with the slogan of “Grow More, Export More”.

R&D Centre Chief Scientist Long Chunjiu said in a recent interview that Pakistan has a great potential for rice export, in which hybrid rice seeds can play a critical role.
Pakistan’s rice export to China in the first six months of this year was worth around $345 million, compared with $258 million in the same period of last year, according to the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC).

 

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Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal presided over the meeting to review the progress made in preparation for the 11th JCC meeting expected to be convened next month.

The meeting discussed projects in the agriculture and socio-economic sector for the forthcoming 11th JCC meeting.

In the agricultural sector, it was underlined that China’s expanding agricultural market provides significant potential for Pakistani exports. Modernization and mechanization of agriculture in Pakistan should be carried out in the context of the CPEC, as well as other measures to enable agricultural development and tap into the Chinese market for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) of animals and quarantine issues were explicitly emphasized as important hurdles in meat export to China by a representative from the Ministry of National Food Security, who informed the chair that they are being addressed on priority with Chinese assistance.

 

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Sugar production expected to increase by 15-20 lac tonnes:​

Lahore: FBR has predicted an increase of 15-20 lac tonnes in sugar production in the coming crushing season citing better growth of sugarcane crop due to monsoon rains, ARY News reported.

A Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) spokesperson said on Thursday that the country would have 12 lac tonnes of sugar at the start of the next crushing season. Sugar mills produced a total of 12 lac tonnes of excess sugar in the last season, they added.

FBR said that the monsoon rains have caused a growth of 10 % in the sugarcane crops this season, which will result in increased sugar production. People will have to bear the burden of the excess production if the government does not export the sugar, they added.
The spokesperson added that $1 billion could have been earned if the government had not decided to ban sugar export.

On July 30, the federal government retained the export ban on sugar despite having a surplus stock of 1.2 million tons.

After lifting the export ban on sugar, the government could formulate a strategy to export the surplus stocks in phases to inject over $1 billion into the national exchequer.

 

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Plan to incentivise farmers for olive cultivation​

Rasheed Khalid
The News
August 06, 2022

Islamabad : Dr. Muhammad Tariq, Project Director, Olive Promotion Cultivation on Commercial Scale in Pakistan, Ministry of Food Security and Research. has said that Pakistan spends $4 b per annum on the import of edible oil and oilseeds every year which can be reduced by cultivating olive on 4 million hectares of uncultivated land in the country that is suitable for olive production and where water can be explored.

In an interview with this correspondent, Dr. Tariq said that pruning in December and using fungicides and insecticide sprays in February are very crucial to getting better yield from olive plants. Drip irrigation helps in getting optimum production from the cultivated land. It would reduce 25 % of our olive oil imports, rather we may be able to export our olive products to the world.

The scope of olive plants can be increased as its leaves will be used in producing organic dyes for colouring food as well as leather industry thereby checking the pollution generated by tanneries. The residue obtained after extracting oil from olive fruits is rich biomass for agriculture or can serve as feeds for poultry and livestock. Oil cultivation will also stop soil erosion.

Dr. Tariq enumerated other offshoots including jobs for the people, especially in tribal areas. We can have factories producing olive pickle, olive tea, and other nutraceutical products used in cosmetics, he continued.

He revealed that NARC provides olive oil extraction services to clients with a minimum of 20 kg of fruit free of cost. There are 28 oil extraction machines of different capacities in Pakistan in the public sector while 2 units are operating in the private sector in Punjab and Balochistan.

He said in the Phase II programme, training in value-added products will be provided to develop cottage industry in rural areas. Olive has no competition with any crop as we are developing it on uncultivated land. He said the country has millions of wild olive trees we call Kahu and we have planned to graft 5 m Kahu trees this year.

In the next three years, Dr. Tariq, said we intend to plant olive saplings on 75,000 acres. Four to eight most widely adopted registered varieties in the world depending upon availability will be distributed to farmers free of cost. Different varieties should be planted for cross-pollination in every field which is essential for better yield and production, he added.

Pre- and post-harvest kits and fruit processing units will be provided to farmers on a matching grant basis, he said adding that our next target will be establishing reference laboratories to certify olive oil for export or local sale.

 

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Bamboo is unique Chinese solution to climate change, Pakistani official

China Economic Net,
Aug 3, 2022

ISLAMABAD ? Bamboo is an efficient carbon sink that China is promoting as a unique solution to climate change. A senior official of Pakistan's Ministry of Climate Change has said that it is easier to adopt and implement Chinese strategies in Pakistan than to follow Western and European solutions.

Speaking to China Economic Net, he said that China has successfully managed its forests and taken great steps in bamboo production. China is now competing with the West. This is one area under climate change where we can get Chinese assistance.

In the past, there has been no major cooperation between Pakistan and China in the field of climate change. But now there is a need and great potential for collaboration between the two countries in this sector.

China has made significant progress in the development and scientific cultivation of bamboo. Currently, China ranks first worldwide in bamboo research because of its numerous research units and strong technical force.

In recent years, China has made significant progress in bamboo cultivation and development, carbon sequestration and storage, and environmental functions.

Therefore, the development and acquisition of bamboo industry in Pakistan from China's experience can be a beneficial step towards afforestation and climate change. This concept has already been introduced in Pakistan.

Bamboo is cultivated in many parts of Pakistan and about 15 species of bamboo are found in the country. Bamboo has also been used across the country to construct post-disaster shelters after earthquakes and floods.

 

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The general attitude and state of the sorrow of our consecutive governments and the relative planning departments. They never rose to occasions but knee-jerk reactions at the eleventh hour. Our policies in every norm of life are reactive and never seen as proactive.

Many people always argue about the lack of education in Pakistan. Indeed such is the case but not so impacting in reference to laborers or farmers but the 'so-called' professionals. Those professionals who are responsible for devising policies by foreseeing the events and their impacts on world economies. These bureaucrats are only trained to please their political masters who benefit them more in terms of incentives/packages OR to make hurdles in every project which may benefit the country.

Following is another feather in Pakistan's cap for being reactive:

High tea imports push Pakistan to enhance local production​

Farmers reluctant to grow tea as it takes 5-6 years for first picking

---

August 08, 2022

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MANSEHRA:
“Pakistan has huge potential to become self-sufficient in the tea sector. If we plant tea on an additional 2,000 hectares of land offered by the government and invested by private companies, we can meet 95% of our national demand,” said Dr Abdul Waheed, Director of National Tea and High-Value Crop Research Institute, PARC in an interview with China Economic Net (CEN).
“In collaboration with China, we have done much research, including the National Tea Research Institute, which was built upon the recommendation of Chinese researchers and was later renamed National Tea and High-Value Crop Research Institute. After this, commercialisation should be followed,” he suggested.
Pakistan’s heavy reliance on import of tea is calling for enhanced production capacity. During 2021, Pakistan imported 2,258,000 kg of black and green tea, costing $596 million.
In the first three quarters of fiscal year 2021-22, Pakistan’s tea imports increased 11.95% as compared to the corresponding period of previous year.
“We have 64,000 hectares of land suitable for tea plantation. But now less than 80 hectares are devoted to tea plantation. In the first year, at least we should start from 2,000 to 10,000 hectares under public-private partnership,” he said.
“We have the capacity of 4 million plants per annum, rather than import, we have the capacity. If you look at olive, people wait for three or four years before they get the fruit, but then the oil extracted can be sold at a very high price. The same case applies to tea,” he said.
Regarding legislation, Waheed suggests tea plants be declared as forestry so that they won’t be replaced by other tree species.
“Farmers are reluctant to grow tea because it took at least five to six years for the first picking,” he explained.
“Tea planting can be promoted through cooperative farming and government subsidies. For private farmers, they have their own land and need incentives from the government,” he told CEN.
Providing incentives such as loans free of interest to growers during the gestation period is also a practice adopted by China, a major tea exporter to Pakistan, to motivate new tea farmers.
“The natural law determines the long growth period of tea trees. Through modern technology, we can shorten the period from 7-10 years to 3-5 years, but once the tea leaves are picked, the trees can be in use for several decades,” said Professor Hu Bo from Zhangzhou College of Science and Technology, China, located in a famous city of tea, Zhangzhou.
“But most important of all, when farmers find that growing tea brings much more benefits than other crops, they will choose it. This relies on benign development of the industry,” he added.
Currently, tea growers in Zhangzhou have earned over 35% of their income by selling tea leaves. The local tea industry spans the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors with a wide range of products and services provided, including tea leaves, tea-made food, tea sets as well as tea-based tourism, education and culture.
“In Pakistan, there is also need for a complete link chain for plantation, production, processing and then marketing,” said Waheed, a frequent visitor to China’s tea production bases and universities.
Exchanges with China
Zhangzhou College of Science and Technology, the only foreign aid training base in China that focuses on tea, has trained over a dozen Pakistani participants over the years.
“Pakistan used to have very limited tea varieties. It is through such training that Pakistani participants brought back the technology to grow and process Oolong Tea and red and white tea,” revealed Cai Shiwen, Director of International Department of the college.
China is among the top 10 tea exporters to Pakistan. In 2021, it exported $5.32 million worth of tea to Pakistan and provides 42% of the imported green tea. Meanwhile, it is surprising to find that Pakistan is also exporting tea to China.
According to the General Administration of Customs of China, Pakistan exported over 5,000 kg of red tea and other fermented tea in the first four months of 2022. Not a large amount, but it is still inspiring.
Guangzhou Quality Import and Export General Manager Furqan Mawani told CEN that his company imports over a hundred tons of green and red tea from Pakistan.
Through e-commerce platforms, the products reach wholesalers and end-consumers all over the country.
“Pakistani teas are known for their strong flavourful taste and rich aromas. But another reason why Pakistani tea products have a place in the Chinese market is because of the relationship and bond the two countries share,” explained Mawani.
“People of China and Pakistan are willing to share and get to know about each other’s cultures. As tea is an integral part of Pakistan and China culture, it is inevitable that they are attracted to Pakistani tea.”
As the concepts of milk tea and health preservation are gaining traction among the young population in China, he expects more export of green and red tea from Pakistan.
“The commercial value of Pakistan’s tea, once fully tapped, can be beyond imagination,” Mawani said.
THE ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THE CHINA ECONOMIC NET

High tea imports push Pakistan to enhance local production | The Express Tribune

Farmers reluctant to grow tea as it takes 5-6 years for first picking

tribune.com.pk

 

[Luosifen]

The general attitude and state of the sorrow of our consecutive governments and the relative planning departments. They never rose to occasions but knee-jerk reactions at the eleventh hour. Our policies in every norm of life are reactive and never seen as proactive.

Many people always argue about the lack of education in Pakistan. Indeed such is the case but not so impacting in reference to laborers or farmers but the 'so-called' professionals. Those professionals who are responsible for devising policies by foreseeing the events and their impacts on world economies. These bureaucrats are only trained to please their political masters who benefit them more in terms of incentives/packages OR to make hurdles in every project which may benefit the country.

Following is another feather in Pakistan's cap for being reactive:

High tea imports push Pakistan to enhance local production​

Farmers reluctant to grow tea as it takes 5-6 years for first picking

---

August 08, 2022

---

MANSEHRA:
“Pakistan has huge potential to become self-sufficient in the tea sector. If we plant tea on an additional 2,000 hectares of land offered by the government and invested by private companies, we can meet 95% of our national demand,” said Dr Abdul Waheed, Director of National Tea and High-Value Crop Research Institute, PARC in an interview with China Economic Net (CEN).
“In collaboration with China, we have done much research, including the National Tea Research Institute, which was built upon the recommendation of Chinese researchers and was later renamed National Tea and High-Value Crop Research Institute. After this, commercialisation should be followed,” he suggested.
Pakistan’s heavy reliance on import of tea is calling for enhanced production capacity. During 2021, Pakistan imported 2,258,000 kg of black and green tea, costing $596 million.
In the first three quarters of fiscal year 2021-22, Pakistan’s tea imports increased 11.95% as compared to the corresponding period of previous year.
“We have 64,000 hectares of land suitable for tea plantation. But now less than 80 hectares are devoted to tea plantation. In the first year, at least we should start from 2,000 to 10,000 hectares under public-private partnership,” he said.
“We have the capacity of 4 million plants per annum, rather than import, we have the capacity. If you look at olive, people wait for three or four years before they get the fruit, but then the oil extracted can be sold at a very high price. The same case applies to tea,” he said.
Regarding legislation, Waheed suggests tea plants be declared as forestry so that they won’t be replaced by other tree species.
“Farmers are reluctant to grow tea because it took at least five to six years for the first picking,” he explained.
“Tea planting can be promoted through cooperative farming and government subsidies. For private farmers, they have their own land and need incentives from the government,” he told CEN.
Providing incentives such as loans free of interest to growers during the gestation period is also a practice adopted by China, a major tea exporter to Pakistan, to motivate new tea farmers.
“The natural law determines the long growth period of tea trees. Through modern technology, we can shorten the period from 7-10 years to 3-5 years, but once the tea leaves are picked, the trees can be in use for several decades,” said Professor Hu Bo from Zhangzhou College of Science and Technology, China, located in a famous city of tea, Zhangzhou.
“But most important of all, when farmers find that growing tea brings much more benefits than other crops, they will choose it. This relies on benign development of the industry,” he added.
Currently, tea growers in Zhangzhou have earned over 35% of their income by selling tea leaves. The local tea industry spans the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors with a wide range of products and services provided, including tea leaves, tea-made food, tea sets as well as tea-based tourism, education and culture.
“In Pakistan, there is also need for a complete link chain for plantation, production, processing and then marketing,” said Waheed, a frequent visitor to China’s tea production bases and universities.
Exchanges with China
Zhangzhou College of Science and Technology, the only foreign aid training base in China that focuses on tea, has trained over a dozen Pakistani participants over the years.
“Pakistan used to have very limited tea varieties. It is through such training that Pakistani participants brought back the technology to grow and process Oolong Tea and red and white tea,” revealed Cai Shiwen, Director of International Department of the college.
China is among the top 10 tea exporters to Pakistan. In 2021, it exported $5.32 million worth of tea to Pakistan and provides 42% of the imported green tea. Meanwhile, it is surprising to find that Pakistan is also exporting tea to China.
According to the General Administration of Customs of China, Pakistan exported over 5,000 kg of red tea and other fermented tea in the first four months of 2022. Not a large amount, but it is still inspiring.
Guangzhou Quality Import and Export General Manager Furqan Mawani told CEN that his company imports over a hundred tons of green and red tea from Pakistan.
Through e-commerce platforms, the products reach wholesalers and end-consumers all over the country.
“Pakistani teas are known for their strong flavourful taste and rich aromas. But another reason why Pakistani tea products have a place in the Chinese market is because of the relationship and bond the two countries share,” explained Mawani.
“People of China and Pakistan are willing to share and get to know about each other’s cultures. As tea is an integral part of Pakistan and China culture, it is inevitable that they are attracted to Pakistani tea.”
As the concepts of milk tea and health preservation are gaining traction among the young population in China, he expects more export of green and red tea from Pakistan.
“The commercial value of Pakistan’s tea, once fully tapped, can be beyond imagination,” Mawani said.
THE ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THE CHINA ECONOMIC NET

High tea imports push Pakistan to enhance local production | The Express Tribune

Farmers reluctant to grow tea as it takes 5-6 years for first picking

tribune.com.pk

Does that mean our friend Abhi was actually promoting Chinese tea?

 

[khail007]

Does that mean our friend Abhi was actually promoting Chinese tea?

Dear, you could claim it as indirectly maybe he is.

On topic, apart from cultivation with the assistance of China and Turkey, most of the import of black tea in Pakistan is from Kenya and Srilanka.

 

[ghazi52]

.,.,

Record 9m tonnes of rice production expected​

Newspaper's
August 9, 2022

The country is expected to produce record-breaking over 9 million tonnes of rice against all odds in the current fiscal year against the 8.9m tonnes produced in 2021-22.

The US Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN report for July 2022 forecasts a lower production at 8.4m tonnes in Pakistan.

However, local rice sector experts expect that Pakistan will harvest more than 9m tonnes of paddy in the forthcoming season because of weather conditions, increase in acreage and better availability of farm inputs.

“Above normal rain in July and the first week of August, late sowing of paddy in cotton fields of Sindh and south Punjab which were damaged due to heavy rains, will push for a record rice production,” says Hamid Malik.

The country has a carryover stock of around 1m tonnes but higher consumption of corn for animal feed purposes will leave more exportable surplus during FY23.

“Pakistan has big chances of rice exports up to 5m tonnes during the FY23 because of lower paddy production of over 10m tonnes in India as the crop was hit by erratic rains of monsoon there, Chinese crop was affected by high temperature, and Vietnam suffered untimely rain at harvesting time,” he says.

Due to these factors, global rice production will come down to 515m tonnes this year as against 519m tonnes last year leaving a gap of 4-5 million tonnes on the supply side, he estimates, adding global average price is expected to be higher than that of the ongoing season.

About the Basmati growers, he says they may get a lesser price for their produce this year but with higher per acre yield and a cut in expenses for pumping out subsoil water due to rains and better availability of urea may give them consolation.

He predicts that prices of non-Basmati rice varieties in the local market will be higher this year.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2022

 

[Luosifen]