Ban imposed on release of inland subsidy on sugar export

MUSHTAQ GHUMMAN

Caretaker Minister for Commerce and Textile Industry, Maqbool H H Rehmatoola has reportedly imposed a ban on release of inland subsidy on export of sugar as well as the subsidy under the Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF) 2009-12 and 2012-15, well informed sources told Business Recorder.

The Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, under the three-week long leadership of former Finance Minister, Saleem Mandviwalla, approved billions of rupees of financial incentives for politically influential sugar industry under the guise of inland subsidy on a summary moved by the Commerce Ministry.

However, the decision, considered questionable could not be implemented; several decisions taken by Saleem Mandviwalla are currently being heard by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. "Commerce Minister believes that the amount of inland subsidy can be used in elections, which is why he imposed a ban on the release of the amount under this head," the sources added.

Likewise, processing of cases of release of subsidy to exporters as announced in STFP is to be discontinued by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). The Minister feels that TDAP should not release any amount under that head as it would be considered against the directives of Election Commission of Pakistan. The officials in TDAP and Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), who intended to expedite cases of sugar mill owners and exporters for release of subsides were likely to be disappointed with that decision, said an official on condition of anonymity.

The sources said ECC in its meeting on March 6, had approved inland subsidy of Rs 1.75 per kg on 1.2 million tons of sugar. Earlier, the ECC meeting presided over by former finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had approved Rs 8 billion incentives on export of 1.2 million tons of sugar on summaries prepared by the Commerce Ministry and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

However, SRO issued by the FBR favoured only sugar mills of Sindh zone. According to sources, Punjab produces 60 percent and KP 10 percent of overall sugar output in the country. The exclusion of both provinces has been strongly lamented by the industry as the SRO only favours one province. This SRO is being challenged in the court as discriminatory in nature and the major quantum of growers'' payments relates to Punjab. If KP and Punjab mills try to export through Karachi Port for destinations other than Afghanistan and CIS, it costs over 20 dollars in terms of haulage and it is practically impossible to export. According to sources, Secretary Finance Dr Waqar Masood has decided that the issue of release of inland subsidy should be left to the new elected government.

^{Source Business Recorder}

Uganda: Agriculture Earnings Drop

Kampala — The agriculture sector's contribution to real Growth Domestic Product-GDP fell by 1.7 percent to 3.0 percent in 2012 up from 4.7 the previous year and 5.0 percent in 2010, Statistics from National Institute of Statistics indicate.

With the country's real GDP growing at 8.0 percent in real terms in 2012, agriculture comes behind the services sector that contributed 12.3 percent with the industry sector contributing contributing 7.4 percent.

Accordingly, food crops dropped from 5.0 percent in 2011 to 3.2 percent last year,export crops saw a fall to -9.1 percent in 2012 up from 3.0 percent 2011,while livestock increased to 5.3 percent 2012 up from 2.8 percent in 2011.

Whilst,forestry increased from 2.7 percent in 2011 to 4.3 percent in 2012 while fisheries was stable at 3.0 percent dropped contributed 5.3 percent, forestry 4.3 in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Experts attribute the fall to prolonged drought that affected most harvests in 2010 and early 2011 that saw a sharp fall in food production contribution to GDP from 9.3 percent in 2009 to 5.0 in 2011 and in second season of the year that pushed the contribution down to 3.2 percent in 2012.

"We could not get enough supply from farmers last year because their harvests were affected," Veneste Mukabudigiri, a vendor of fresh foods in Kimironko market told Business Week

Agriculture has been the country's main contributor to real GDP and pumping more than 45 percent of the country's export receipts.

But International Monetary fund projects a stronger growth in agriculture(food crops) boosted by the first harvest of the year which were good and an acceleration in foreign financed investments projects while construction and services are likely to slow down responding to tighter economic policies.

Nevertheless, with an increase 12.3 percent in the service sector contribution to real GDP, there is optimism that the economy is headed to a positive outlook that will see a shift from agro-based to service economy.

"I think this is a good shift for the economy... . Provided we have the sectors like services and industry at the fore front of development then we are sure of sustainable growth which translates into increased revenues to finance the national budget and increased employment," Davis Mukiza, a private Consultant said

Indeed, the increased investments in transport and communication, hotels and restaurant, whole sale and retails and health has resulted an a positive performance to GDP of 19.5 percent ,7.8 percent ,12.5 percent and 10.6 percent respectively.

Source: allafrica

Pakistan farmers grapple with climate change

Saleem Shaikh and Sughra Tunio

Gujar Khan, Pakistan - After five consecutive dry winters, Abdul Qadeer was jubilant at the prospect of a plentiful harvest of wheat after December rains soaked his farmland.

But the 39-year-old farmer’s hopes were destroyed last month by torrential spring rains and a hailstorm that flattened his wheat crop.

Qadeer is one of many farmers suffering the effects of unpredictable weather patterns and variable rainfall, which scientists believe are linked to climate change.

Now Pakistan’s government is trying to introduce crop insurance to save farmers from economic ruin. Qadeer, who farms land in Gujar Khan, approximately 55 km southeast of Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, vividly recalls the unexpected volley of pebble-sized hailstones that lashed his 15-acre (6-hectare) field for about 15 minutes one day in the last week of March.

“I could clearly hear dull, clunking sounds of the hailstones that slashed through the stalks of the standing wheat crop and knocked (the ears of wheat) to the ground,” Qadeer said.

He had anticipated harvesting a good crop in the second week of April, but the unseasonal storm destroyed his wheat, causing losses of 800,000 Pakistani rupees ($8,000).

Zaman Ali, a farmer in Islamabad’s southern suburb of Chak Shahzad, says 70 percent of the wheat he was growing on 9 acres (3.6 hectares) was destroyed by strong winds and heavy rain.

Farmers are really defenceless when such unwanted torrential rains and hailstorms strike their crops. We are really completely at the mercy of the weather

Muhammad Riaz, farmer,

Ali believes the yield from the remaining wheat will reach only 60 percent of what it should have been, because the rains brought unseasonably low temperatures, preventing the grain from maturing properly. Ali described the weather as unprecedented in his 15 years of experience growing crops.

“Farmers are really defenceless when such unwanted torrential rains and hailstorms strike their crops,” said Muhammad Riaz, who lost crops worth about 1.6 million rupees ($16,000) on his 24-acre (10-hectare) farm in Haripur, 65 km (40 miles) north of Islamabad. “We are really completely at the mercy of the weather.”

Insurance coming soon?

“The solution to such grim situations that are becoming frequent lies in crop insurance,” said Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Pakistan’s former federal minister for food and agriculture. “Farmers can at least recover some of the financial damages, and are able to cultivate next season crops.”

Crop insurance is not currently available in Pakistan, but Iftikhar Ahmed, chairman of the state-owned Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), said the government is leading negotiations with insurance firms and banks to introduce a national crop insurance programme, similar to those introduced in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. It is hoped the insurance will be available by mid-November this year.

In Pakistan, wheat is sown in mid-October and harvested in mid-April. Around 16 million acres (6.5 million hectares) are planted with wheat every year, yielding around 25 million tonnes of grain.

“Eight to 10 years ago, the spring season used to come in the first week of March and last for 25 to 30 days. Now, it comes in late March and lasts for only 15 to 20 days,” said farmer Qadeer.

Spring rain is a rare phenomenon in Pakistan, particularly in northern and central areas. The inclement weather lowered the temperature by 20 degrees Celsius to around 9 degrees this year.

“From March to mid-April, the wheat crop needs (temperatures) above 30 degrees Celsius for its healthy growth of stalk and grain, and to avoid pest attacks,” said Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, the World Meteorological Organisation’s vice president for the Asia region and a former director-general of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

According to PARC’s Ahmed, high moisture levels in the air have also led to fungus and insect infestations.

Production drops

Officials at the federal food security and research ministry in Islamabad say they expect wheat production from rain-fed land to be 30 percent lower than normal as a result of the extreme weather.

Ghulam Rasul, chief meteorologist at the PMD, said that although hailstorms can be forecast six to 12 hours in advance, the damage they cause to crops cannot be staved off.

“We had predicted both torrential rains and hailstorms on March 23 and 24 in the upper and central parts of the country, and dust storms and intermittent rains for two to four days in the last week of March in southern and coastal areas,” he said.

“Since these untimely or unseasonal rains and hailstorm came at a time when most of the winter crops such as wheat, mustard, vegetables were near harvest, nothing could be done to save the standing crops,” he explained.

Ibrahim Mughal, chairman of Agri Forum Pakistan, a nongovernmental farmers’ body based in Lahore, said the government has consulted with representatives of farmers’ groups about ways to make a national insurance programme effective.

The views of smallholders are key because their share of cultivation is around 75 percent.

“We have suggested that, without a mass awareness campaign about the benefits of crop insurance and subsidising premiums for small or subsistence farmers...the insurance programme is unlikely to win the hearts of farmers,” said Mughal.

This article first appeared on the Thomson Reuters Foundation news service

Source: Al Jazeera

A new method of rice farming

In Kerala, where paddy cultivation is going out of favour because of labour problems and high costs, the novel System of Rice Intensification’ (SRI) has shown the potential to rehabilitate this crop.
This innovative technique ensures substantially higher productivity and lower input use. The SRI system has, in fact, proved its utility in many other regions as well, spanning Sikkim in the north-east to Tamil Nadu in the south.
The environment-friendly SRI method of growing rice involves transplanting relatively young paddy seedlings (eight to 10 days old instead of usual 20 days or more), along with the soil that contains their roots. The spacing between plants and rows is kept relatively wide at around 25 cms to provide room for the robust growth of both root and plant.
Plant nutrients are supplied largely through farm-yard manure, supplemented with need-based fertiliser applications. The most significant aspect of SRI is that the fields are not kept submerged under water all the time, as is usual in rice farming, but are allowed to remain just wet without flooding.
The success of SRI technology in most places where it has been tried in the past few years has led to its promotion in a big way by Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs or agricultural science centres) and other farm research bodies under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). What makes the SRI method an instant hit with paddy growers is the saving of almost all key inputs (water, seed, fertilisers, pesticides and labour), and a perceptible spurt in crop productivity, which has, of late, tended to stagnate at many places.
The saving on water, which is rapidly turning scarce in most paddy-growing tracts, can be 30 to 40 per cent or more; that of costly seeds over 50 per cent. The reduction in the requirement of other inputs varies according to field conditions.
Higher crop yields in SRI fields are attributed to several factors. Since the seedlings are planted along with the soil in which these are growing, it helps the undisturbed roots to develop more profusely and enables it to tap more nutrients from the soil. This, in turn, facilitates a larger number of tillers (shoots) per root-system, vigorous plant growth and, more importantly, longer panicles (ear-heads) to accommodate more grain per plant.
Moreover, the fact that the seedlings are planted in wide-apart rows makes it easier for farmer to remove weed and other rogue plants that normally compete with the main crop for extracting nutrition from soil.
SRI fields also have a lower incidence of pests and diseases, mainly on account of lower humidity because the fields are not kept inundated. Overall crop yields have been found to surge by anywhere between 20 and 100 per cent over those obtained with normal cultivation practices.
The introduction of the SRI technique in different states has shown that it works well with both high-yielding varieties and local varieties of paddy. In east Sikkim, for instance, where farmers tend to grow only traditional varieties, such as Attey, Krishnabhog and Dudhetulsi, the new method enabled farmers to bag, on average, over 23 quintals of grain per hectare, against 19.6 quintals with conventional method, in kharif 2009-10. Farmers earned an average net return of around Rs 25,550 per hectare, more than double the production cost of Rs 10,950, according to sources in the KVK run by the ICAR Research Complex for the north-eastern hilly region, located in East Sikkim district.
In the Nellanad area of Thiruvananthapuram, where the SRI technology has been introduced by the local KVK in collaboration with the Coimbatore-based Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, farmers have reportedly reaped a paddy harvest of nearly 7 tonnes per hectare, against the state’s average crop productivity of 3 to 3.5 tonnes a hectare. This has spurred the state government to include the promotion of SRI in its overall agricultural development policy. Kerala’s example can surely be emulated elsewhere.
Similar encouraging results have been reported from Tamil Nadu’s key paddy belt in the Mettur dam command area where the uncertainty over the release of canal water from this dam has been posing problems for paddy growers. With the SRI technique, farmers can manage comfortably with whatever water is available. 
Courtesy: Business Standard

Dry seeded rice technology

By Zuhair Hasnain

Dry seed rice cultivation on the mechanical lines is the linkage of past practice with throughput technology, becoming indispensable to address problems like drudgery, high production cost, low quality, low crop intensity and above all water and labour scarcity.
The sowing of dry seeds into dry or moist, non-puddled soil has many advantages over traditional transplanting and is a principal method of rice growing in many parts of the world including Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, America, Japan and the sub-Saharan Africa.
In Pakistan traditional dry seeding in rice is reported only in few acres across Punjab and a big space exist for both research and extension wing of the agriculture department for its standardisation, popularisation and adaptation. With the recent developments in rice production technology across the globe, there should be flexibility in opting for the prevailing patterns and latest trends to achieve self-sufficiency and resource conservation.
Dry seeded rice, a simple approach, is beneficial for farmer. The foremost principal underlying this theory is water saving, cost benefit ratio, efficient land utilisation and better management practices. Water situation in the country and its scarcity need not be elaborated. In dry seeding of rice 30 per cent of water can be saved by eliminating puddling and if intermittent irrigation (alternate wetting and drying concept), a new method of irrigation, is used additional 15-30 per cent of water can be saved and that can be a big achievement.

Beside, about 40 per cent of labour cost can be saved by dry seeding method. Dry seeding also implies time saving, quicker land preparation in effective manner, and maximised yield.
Going ahead, if one more step is taken by clubbing the dry seeding rice cultivation with mechanised farming, it can reward the farmers more by generating the idea of intensification, higher yield with low input, reduced tillage and efficient utilisation of nutrients (proper placement and time).
Mechanisation will lead the growers to resource use efficiency and sustainable agriculture while muting the voice of environmental pollution.
The biggest challenge to this practice is weed manifestation. Various pre- and post-emergence chemicals have been introduced to fix it. Besides this, research is going worldwide over this system of cultivation for best management practices under innovative ideas by agronomists in regards to response of new breeding lines, adaptation to different soils and climatic conditions, and effective use of mechanisation concept.
Finally, this change in sowing pattern is expected to have a big impact on Asian rice production efforts and on the region’s economies. This is because one of the main forces driving such changes has been shrinking resources in the region, especially available land and water.
Pakistan should be a part of knowledge sharing and applied research centers working round the world. This way one can succeed in the achievement of mutually agreed benefits such as serving humanity, coping food security and fighting for the cause of hunger.
Effort in the direction of increasing output at the least cost is more important as the world population is going to increase to nine billion by 2050, which will require more than doubling the current food production. Asia grows 90 per cent of rice of the world which is mostly consumed by its population.
Each hectare of rice-producing land at present is providing food for 27 people. By 2050, because of growth in population and increasing urbanisation, each hectare will have to feed at least 43 people. This means that yields must be enhanced by at least 50 per cent over the next 40 years to prevent mass malnutrition among the 700 million Asians.
The writer is a PhD research scholar at The International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Philippines.

z.hasnain@irri.org

Courtesy: The DAWN

Policy risks to agriculture

By Ahmad Fraz Khan

If farmers’ fears are to go by, the new year might not be any different for agriculture from the last one. They think that this year too, the terms of trade would be unfavourable for them, international recession would keep commodity prices down and an ever-expanding domestic tax regime would keep the cost of production high.
Listing factors causing fears, farmers maintain that uncertainty is also haunting them. At the policy level, no one knows who is in-charge of the sector? The federation has abdicated the sector to provinces after the 18th amendment, but the federating units have yet to come to grips with the problems agitating the growers.
Ideally, it should be a temporary phase and the provinces, especially Punjab and Sindh, should quickly develop the capacity to plan and execute their own agricultural priorities. The problem, however, is that agriculture, as a sector, is yet to appear on provincial policy radar. The budgetary allocations reflect the level of neglect that the sector faces by the provinces. Punjab, which is considered to be the food basket of the country, allocates only Rs3-3.5 billion for the sector each year. To put the things in context, it has allocated Rs50 billion for police this year.

The spending patterns leaves even more to be desired. Out of Rs3.5 billion, the subsequent budgetary revisions regularly rob almost half of the amount, which leaves the sector with less than Rs2 billion to spend during an entire year. For the last three years, the actual budgetary spending has never crossed 60 per cent of the allocations. It means, actually, the sector gets only Rs1 billion each year; it indicates the commitment of the provincial government. With this meagre money, it can hardly meet the level of expectations raised by the 18th Amendment. That is precisely the point that continues to haunt the farmers. Can the Punjab government reverse the spending trend in 2012, the farmers are not convinced.
Second, the farmers fear crop cycle failure during this year. They feel that the country has started the year on a wrong foot.
The cane crop is sprinting towards marketing failure and wheat would be the next one. The cane crop, which is hugely healthy, has seen delayed start of the crushing season and price sliding. The millers, fully aware of the crop size, are making up to 25 per cent deductions in price on excuses like quality. If crop is short, the millers never mention the quality issue. But now, they are doing so with full fiscal ferocity.
On the other hand, farm temperatures have dropped much below the zero degree, injuring the crop from within. Both these factors are hurting the farmers. Cane has overlapping harvesting and sowing activity; on the one hand, it is harvested, and on the other, sown. If farmers don’t get proper returns, the sowing would immediately suffer.
The wheat failure is also feared, not because of production but procurement, as is the case with cane. The country is currently holding close to ten million tons of wheat, with a clogged debt of around Rs300 billion. Servicing this debt is costing the country around Rs6 billion per month. The State Bank has warned everyone that they would get as much loan as they retire.
Thus, money would severely be in short supply when the government needs it the most four months down the line.
The federation has increased wheat price by more than 10 per cent, correspondingly raising the inventory keeping cost. If these factors lead to a price crash, the farmers would be in for a big trouble.
Both crops, if they fail as much as the farmers fear, can take the entire crop cycle down next year. If farmers do not get money from one crop, their investment would naturally drop on the next one. The fertiliser crisis has already taken a toll on wheat this year. Punjab is still lagging 600,000 acres behind its target, which it would, most probably, miss this year because temperatures have already dropped in the country to a level that make germination impossible.
Third fear factor is prices of inputs, especially fertiliser. In the last one year, urea prices have doubled and that of DAP increased by more than 50 per cent. It has already reflected in their off-take; urea consumption in Rabi has dropped by more than 15 per cent so far and DAP by 40 per cent.
The new increase in gas prices, effective from January 1, would further increase urea prices, taking them out of farmers’ fiscal reach. To make the matter worse, the government, instead of controlling ever-increasing fertiliser prices, is contributing to their increase. Taxation, increasing gas prices, failure to print prices on bags and failure to move its machinery for regulating prices are a few examples of government unwillingness or inability to keep prices in check.
The fourth factor is the federal attitude. After lobbing the sector in provincial lap through the 18th Amendment, it seems to have abandoned even those decisions it can take. Like, export of agriculture commodities and imports of inputs. The country is still holding huge wheat stocks because it failed to export wheat due to federal fears and delayed decisions. Its import of fertiliser got dangerously delayed because the federation took time to get fully convinced.

Courtesy: The DAWN

Resource Conserving Agri-Technologies

Authors:  Habib Ullah, Dr. Ehsanullah and Dr. Shakeel Ahmad Anjum, Associated with Agro-biology lab, department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad.

Pakistan is an agricultural country. Contribution of agriculture sector in the GDP is about 21%. It provides employment to 45% of country’s labor force and is source of livelihood for 60% of the rural population. It has a vital role in ensuring food security, generating overall economic growth, and reducing poverty. Our population is increasing very quickly, there is lot of population pressure on the agriculture sector. To feed this high population we are trying to enhance the agriculture productivity on the expense of land, water, labor, capital, climate and other resources ignoring the recommendations for good agricultural practices. Industrialization and urbanization has further aggravated the problem by reducing the area of production and polluting the land, water and environment which is a direct threat to our agricultural productivity. With the unbalanced use of our resources, we have created many problems such as loss of fertile land, water logging, soil salinity, erosion, pollution of above ground and underground water, habitat destruction etc. We are wasting our water resources which are decreasing rapidly. 75% area of Pakistan is dependent on irrigation water. Our mismanagement of resources is a permanent cause of the higher levels of CO₂ emissions and temperature increase leading to climate change with extreme events which are destructive to our resources and agriculture productivity, which may cause the food security issues to rise up. Food security is a global problem and especially for Pakistan, it is a great challenge. About 30% of our population is living below poverty line, and our farmer is also very poor with small land holdings. The high prices of inputs (fuel, seed, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, machinery and electricity etc) have added much to the anxiety of the farmers. Farmers are living a subsistent life. Our average crop yields are much lower than other countries despite having lot of potential. Despite of great recent progress, hunger and poverty remain widespread and agriculturally driven environmental damage is widely prevalent. The idea of agricultural sustainability centers on the need to develop technologies and practices that do not have adverse effects on environmental goods and services, and that lead to improvements in productivity per unit area and profitability. Resource Conserving Technology (RCT) is a broad term that refers to any management approach or technology that increases factor productivity including land, labor, capital and inputs. Some of these technologies are briefly described here as;

1. Bed planting of crops

It is sowing of crops on the raised leveled surface. Crop is sown on beds in lines Size of bed and furrow depth depends on the type of crop and soil. Bed planter is used for making beds and/or sowing seeds. Using either Dry or Wet sowing method crop can be sown. Irrigation is applied in the furrows. For the sowing of wheat, University of Agriculture Faisalabad has developed a university bed planter machine. It makes two beds and three furrows in the same operation; bed width is 2 feet with four rows of wheat sowing on it, and furrow width is 1 foot. The first row of wheat on bed is sown 3 inches away from either side of furrow, and 2^nd row is sown 5 inches away from first line from either side; between these two lines there is a buffer zone with width of 8 inches for the accumulation of any salt. In this planting geometry of crop, plant population is not reduced in any way. This technology saves 40-50% water, reduces the seed rate upto 10%, better weed control and 20% increase in the yield of the crop has been achieved. Similarly other crops can also be grown successfully on beds such as cotton etc.

2. Wheat residue management

After combine harvesting wheat, wheat stalks are a problem. To manage these residues Prof. Dr Ehsanullah (department of agronomy, university of agriculture Faisalabad) has developed a technology of sowing of Sesbania crop in the wheat. Presoaked seed (10-12 hours) @ 10 kg/acre is broadcasted in the standing wheat after last irrigation in the end of March or in start of April. After one month almost, wheat crop is harvested. Sesbania plants height is much smaller than wheat and escapes from combine harvester. After second irrigation to sesbania it is buried down in the soil along with wheat stalks. To accelerate the process of decomposition, half bag urea per acre can be added. This technology improves the soil health, manages wheat residues, reduces the fertilizer requirements to half and improves next crop yield.

3. Laser land leveling

It is a process of smoothing the land surface (± 2 cm) from its average elevation by using laser-equipped drag buckets, soil movers which are equipped with global positioning systems (GPS) and/or laser-guided instrumentation. To level the land, soil can be moved either by cutting or filling to create the desired slope/level. This technology gives uniform soil moisture distribution, better water application and distribution, good germination, enhanced input use efficiency, reduces weed , pest, and disease problems, reduced consumption of seeds, fertilizers, chemicals and fuel and improved yields. It may have cost and expertise constraints.

4. Direct seeding of Rice

It is a cost effective technology for the seeding of rice crop. The dry seed is drilled into the non-puddled soils with proper land leveling and weed control measures. Sowing of seeds at a depth of 2-3 cm is done with zero till, minimum till machine or broadcasting it after ploughing and leveling the field at @ 12-15kg/acre, fine and Basmati varieties will need 10-12kg/acre. The seed is then covered with the thin layer of soil to aid in proper germination and to avoid the birds damage. Soil moisture in soil should be sufficient for better germination. The sowing of crop starts from end of May to start of June. The problem of weeds is tackled by application of pre-emergence herbicides or by stale seedbed method. Next weeding can be done manually. This technology saves water by 10-30%, avoids soil degradation and plow-pan formation, saves labor, energy, fuel, seeds, and gives 10% higher yields with 10-15 days early maturation of crop.

5. Relay cropping of wheat

Relay cropping consists of interseeding the second crop into the first crop well before it is harvested. It is a form of intercropping in which both crops enjoy a short term association; first crop is at its maturity and second crop is at its initial stage. Wheat is important crop for Pakistan. Due to late maturing varieties of cotton, sowing of wheat goes upto December and January. It is experimentally proved that after November, 15 the yield of wheat is reduced @ 10-15 kg/acre/day. And with the introduction of Bt-cotton, about 7-10% area under wheat has been reduced. So both these problems are direct threat to our wheat production and self sufficiency. Relay cropping of wheat into cotton facilitates timely sowing of wheat, gives extra cotton pickings, saves the land preparation and labor charges, improves soil health and increases yields. It is economically and environmentally viable technology.

6. Zero tillage

Zero tillage is one of a set of strategies aimed to enhance and sustain farm production by conserving and improving soil, water and biological resources. Essentially, it maintains a permanent or semi-permanent organic soil cover (e.g. a growing crop or dead mulch) that protects the soil from sun, rain and wind and allows soil micro-organisms and fauna to take on the task of "tilling" and soil nutrient balancing - natural processes disturbed by mechanical tillage systems. For example, there was a lot of problem of rice stubbles for the sowing of wheat, farmers were burning the residues destroying soil or managing it by disc plough or rotavator increasing cost of production. To address this issue; new technology of Turbo seeder has been introduced. It cuts and churns the stubbles and places it between the rows of seed drilled into the soil by inverted ‘T’ shaped openers. There is no problem of operation or germination as observed in Zone disk tiller and Happy seeder. It decreases cost of production; improves soil health, saves water, labor and energy.

7. Drip irrigation

Widespread appreciation of the “global water crisis” recognizes that scarcity of clean water is affecting food production and conservation of ecosystems. By 2025 it is predicted that most developing countries will face either physical or economic water scarcity. So we have to go for efficient irrigation methods. Drip irrigation is one of them. It irrigates the plants drop by drop on the soil surface or directly into the root zone with the help of network of pump, valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. It reduces evaporation, controls weeds, increase water and fertilizer use efficiency, saves water and fertilizer and increase yields.

8. Precision Farming

It is a farming management concept based on observing and responding to intra-field variations with the goal of optimizing returns on inputs while preserving resources. It relies on new technologies like satellite imagery, information technology, and geospatial tools. GPS, GIS and Remote sensing satellites can track the soil variability, can assess the nutritional status of the soil, disease prevalence and can predict the yields. These technologies can reduce the input rates, decrease cost of production, increase yields and can reduce the environmental concerns.

9. Solar water pumps

With the current energy crisis scenario all over the world, and especially for Pakistan it is need of the day to utilize renewable energy sources for power generation to use for different purposes. Solar water pumps get solar energy from the sun and convert it into electricity by which water pumps can run for pumping of water for irrigation purposes. It is economical and environmental friendly technology.

10. Biogas Plants

Biogas is a flammable gas produced from renewable resources that can be used in many applications as an alternative to fossil fuel-based natural gas. A biogas plant is an anaerobic digester of organic material for the purposes of treating waste and concurrently generating biogas fuel. The feedstock of this plant is the animal dung, plant material, grease food wastes etc. Biogas converts this farm waste to biogas which can be used for home cooking purpose, lightning and for pumping water for irrigation.

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Agriculture: Soil Microbiology

Soil Microbiology Until fairly recently, the living soil has been considered as a functional black box that is intrinsically too difficult to be unravelled into its core components. However, this concept has changed with the advent of the modern methodologies. The intricacies of microbial life in soil has been impacted by the advanced, mainly molecular-based, approaches that have been unleashed on the soil habitat in recent years.

The application of molecular and other advanced methods (cultivation-independent analyses) has provided exciting new insights into microbial life in soil. Soil is an extremely diverse and complex habitat containing many microsites and gradients that form a range of different biogeochemical interfaces. Depending on the proportion of sand, silt and clay, the surface area in soil can vary from 11 cm2 up to 8 million cm2 per gram of soil read more.

The aggregates formed by minerals, soil organic matter, fungal hyphae, roots and plant debris offer a range of potential niches for microorganisms with different lifestyles. The architecture of the soil pore network essentially defines the habitat colonized by the microorganisms and the pore space strongly influences the nature and extent of the interactions between the organisms inhabiting the soil. The latest news, research, and developments in energy technology from the technology Truenergy melbourne Save water. Save Energy. Save Money. Ecovantage improves the sustainability of your home and your budget.

The heterogeneous physical structure of soil affects the spatial distribution of water, oxygen and nutrients, which in turn influences the composition and activity of the microbial communities themselves. As an example, the spatial distribution of bacteria in topsoil and subsoil was found to be different, but lateral variations in spatial distributions are also likely to occur. Soil is the surface layer of earth on which the human civilization depends for its existence. Actually soil represents the loose upper crust of the earth surface distinctly different from the underlying bed rock.

Its depth, colour, composition vary from place to place, but all soils are common in consisting of inorganic (mineral) and organic matter, water, and gaseous phases. Every soil is made up of a succession of layers, collectively known as soil-profile, reaching down to the parent material. The soil-profile consists of two or more horizontal layers, called horizons. The soil horizon may vary in thickness, mineral composition, and structure; they are indicated by the letter A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, etc. A1 horizon is the uppermost or surface layer of the soil and its fertility level is very important from viewpoint of an agriculturist.

Soil fertility depends not only on the presence of inorganic and organic substances, but also on the

presence of various species of

Courtesy:Restoration Soil

Agriculture: Suicide or Survival

By  Zahrah Nasir

With a population of over 190 million and growing, Pakistan is under increasing pressure on many fronts with food production.

The provision of water, power and the raw materials necessary to keep the indigenous manufacturing industry up and running.

Obviously of paramount concern along with, it goes without saying, vast increases in the heath care, education and housing sectors too which, consi- dered en mass, is an astronomical problem indeed.

The agricultural industry has always, since the country’s inception, been the backbone on which all else depends and, with a burgeoning population to feed - a frightening percentage of which is already malnourished due to a combination of escalating inflation and nutritional ignorance - a massive boost in food production is an emergency essential. That, unfortunately, those profiting from the manufacture and sale of chemical agricultural inputs and of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) seeds are already poised to take quick advantage of.

The vast majority of farmers, be these actual landowners or tenants, are uneducated people who have, especially over the last two or three decades, been easily convinced by salesmen representing chemical agricultural inputs - these ranging from fertilizers through to lethally toxic herbicides and pesticides - that by investing in such products, they can increase yields, therefore profit margins, to an astonishing degree. And farmers have taken this enticing bait hook, line and sinker, often getting deeply into debt in the process.

A dire lack of education, amongst many of the sales agents too, means that they do not, on the whole, have any idea of the long-term consequences of their actions - on the soil itself, on the crops they produce or on their own and consumer’s health - and remain under the impression that the more toxins they apply, the more profit they will ultimately reap.

The frightening example of the horrendous situation, a situation completely arising from the exact same misconception, during the so-called ‘Green Revolution’ in Indian Punjab where resultant health issues - with cancers predominating - and bankruptcy have led and, it must be said, still lead to horrifyingly high rates of farmer suicide, is not publicized amongst the farming community here for the simple reason, it is presumed, that the word ‘India’ is, quite ridiculously given the circumstances, viewed with unwarranted suspicion and what are true stories of agricultural problems in Indian Punjab are considered to be nothing more than highly dubious propaganda here.

If our own Government Agricultural Department had any sense - or was the slightest bit concerned about the health and safety of farmers and consumers, plus, the sustainability of agricultural production over the years to come - all they need do is organize traveling video shows of where Indian agriculture went wrong in the over application of toxic chemicals and of the dire consequences of following in the exact same footsteps.

But no - this is far too sensible an idea to be taken up at any level, especially so as it would adversely affect the astronomical profits currently accrued to, for example, chemical fertiliser production units owned and operated by the armed forces and ‘spin -offs’ of the same.

Now, on top of chemical catastrophes - the majority of agricultural produce in the market is contaminated to an actively poisonous degree - there is the unholy spectre of GMO seeds being ‘dumped’ on Pakistan, despite these highly questionable ‘inventions’ having being totally banned, right across the board, in a number of eminently sensible countries around the world in the wake of scientific evidence that the world of GMO seeds is dangerously far from being all that is claimed by its main progenitors, such as Monsanto, but has, instead, distinctly Frankenstein connotations.

Successful seed purveyors, at the behest of multinational seed corporations and companies, are already responsible for the almost complete loss of indigenous seed varieties here - the remaining few are liable, unless action is taken, to be extinct very soon - having coerced both commercial and home growers to switch over to ‘improved’ hybrid varieties from which seed cannot realistically be saved but must, to the glee of its sellers, be purchased afresh each growing season.

Seed saved from hybrid varieties does not produce the same standard of crop as the parent plants if, that it, it manages to crop at all.

Indigenous varieties - often referred to as ‘Heritage’ - on the other hand, are open pollinated varieties or species from which growers can save their own seed, year after year, without any deterioration in crop production as long, that is, as correct soil conditions are maintained.

The only ones to profit from these ‘Heritage’ species are, quite obviously, growers, which is why seed corporations are doing their level best to knock ‘Heritage’ on the head once and for all.

The latest twisted agricultural manoeuvre launched by those profiting from chemical agricultural inputs - these would, by the way, make even more if GMO seeds are allowed free reign here - is to viciously malign organic, totally chemical free, growing practices as are being taken up by an expanding number of ‘enlightened’ growers - commercial and private - around the planet and who, by the way, also use only ‘Heritage’ seeds as, naturally, they can make no profit from them at all.

For Pakistani agriculture to improve - as it must - the need of the hour is to educate farmers as to the real dangers of chemical reliance, of GMO and hybrid seeds and to make them realise that the only way for them to remain safely and financially afloat, is to implement the new, updated methods of sustainable organic agriculture for the benefit of all - except chemical input manufacturers and the sellers of GMO and hybrid seeds - concerned and to factor very real climate change into this completely natural equation.

Source: The Nation