Need to improve agri yields

Pakistan's yield per acre of gram has dropped by 50 percent: from 5 maunds per acre to 2.5 maunds per acre, according to Ibrahim Mughal Chairman of the Agri-Forum Pakistan. This statistic would surprise no one in the wake of a 2011 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) 2011 report that revealed that Pakistan was behind regional as well as global yields per acreage for nearly all crops including wheat, rice, sugarcane and pulses.

The report added that while Pakistan is one of the ten major producers of wheat in the world, around 24 million tons, with 24.5 to 25 million tons of total output projected in the current year, yet our per acre yield is only 2.6 tons per hectare while India's yield is 2.8 tons and China's 4.7 tons per hectare. The highest wheat yield is in the UK at 7.7 tons per hectare; however, its cycle is spread over one year against five months in Pakistan. Wheat exports have varied - from 52.7 million rupees in July-April 2012-13 to 112.7 million rupees in 2011-12.

Rice yield in Pakistan was calculated at 3.1 tons per hectare with a total output of around 9 million tons making Pakistan one of the ten largest producers of the crop world-wide. Rice exports have accounted for as high as 11 percent of our total exports accounting for almost 1.7 billion rupees in 2011-12. In contrast, India's yield per hectare is 3.3, Bangladesh's 4.2 and Sri Lanka's 4.1. China has the highest yield - 6.5 tons per hectare.

Pakistan's sugarcane yield per hectare is 52.4 tons, in comparison to India's 66.1 tons which is the regional leader followed by China's 65.7 tons per hectare and Bangladesh's 43.8 tons per hectare. Brazil is the world leader at 79.2 tons per hectare. In coarse grains, Pakistan's yield is 2.2 tons per hectare, India's is lower at 1.2 tons per hectare and Italy has the highest yield at 7.6 tons per hectare. Pakistan's yield for pulses is 0.6 tons per hectare, India's per hectare yield is 0.7 tons, Bangladesh's 0.9 tons per hectare and the highest yield in pulses is in the UK at 3.9 tons per hectare.

Pakistan, however, has the highest per acre yield of 21.6 tons per hectare in roots and tuber production, India's yield is 20.6 tons per hectare, China's 17.8, and Bangladesh 17.7. However, Pakistan is far behind the US registering where per hectare is 42.1 tons.

The FAO report highlighted the reasons for the low yield in Pakistan in comparison to regional countries as well as globally: water shortage, absence of high yield varieties of seeds and lack of research and development. However, in this context it is relevant to note that FAO's data takes account of the national average while the yield per hectare of different crops varies from province to province. Punjab remains the food basket of the country and its yield is on average higher than the national average. Additionally, within provinces yield varies markedly between subsistence farms and those operated by the rich landlords whose yield per acreage is closer to the regional average.

Be that as it may, it is also relevant to note that the Indian Punjab has a higher yield per hectare in most crops relative to the Pakistani Punjab. What is perhaps required is for the provincial governments, given that agriculture is a provincial subject, take cognisance of their farm sectors and initiate appropriate measures based on studies in high yield countries on how to increase yield. Assistance in this regard can be sought from China, the US and the UK as well as Brazil the world leaders in yields in specific crops.

Bosan for enhanced Pak-Australia cooperation to strengthen Agri sector

MULTAN: Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Bosan Friday lauded Australian help in tackling mango diseases for enhanced production of the exotic fruit and added that their pre-harvest guidelines tripled the income of mango growers in targeted areas of Sindh and Punjab.
Talking to reporters at the circuit house, he said that Pakistan and Australia should move ahead for a national level project in the country to expand the benefits to all the provinces in line with efforts aimed at strengthening the agriculture sector.
Bosan was accompanied by a delegation of Australian agriculture scientists led by Ian Bally currently paying a visit to South Punjab and Sindh agriculture areas to explore the need and possibilities for further extension in the on-going Australia-Pakistan Agriculture Sector Linkage Programme (ASLP) for research on mango diseases including Sudden Death and mango malformation besides mango post-harvest handling.
The Minister said that ASLP Mango project has established 24 integrated research sites in Punjab and 12 in Sindh where pre-harvest mango orchard management technology has increased the income of growers from Rs 0.1 million to Rs 0.3 million.
He said that Sudden Death disease can not go away permanently, however, the technology and guidelines conveyed by the Australian experts helped mango growers in a big way.
The delegation head Ian Bally told reporters that growers can increase their production two to three times and improve its quality by following the mango farm management guidelines against sudden death disease. Our research on mango malformation disease was still in progress, he added. He advised growers to perform pruning in their orchards to enable sunlight and air reach plants for proper growth and fruit formation.
The Australian scientist said that Australia will also provide help to Pakistan on post-harvest technology and guidelines for enhanced mango export. Most of Pakistani mango production is wasted between harvest and consumer stage, Ian Bally said.
The Minister said that ASLP Mango project developed three nurseries at Mango Research Station Shujabad, Sindh Horticulture Research Institute Mirpur Khas and Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam besides three nursery shades. Two commercial nurseries at Sadiqabad and Vehari were operational, he said adding that the Sadiqabad nursery had reared 30,000 mango plants and grafted 8000 which have been sold to orchard owners.
The ASLP project also assisted 17 masters level students and two Ph.D students for their degree research.
Minister said that four research papers were published in the national and international journals while six research abstracts were presented in 2013 and eight abstracts submitted for the conference to be held in 2014.