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Pakistan Agriculture Developments

Pakistan set to become top sesame seed exporter to China​


February 11, 2022

SOURCEwww.app.com.pk




BEIJING, Feb.10 (APP):Pakistan has exported sesame seeds amounting to $120.44 million to China in the year 2021 and hopefully, it is going to become a top exporter in the coming years, said Badar Uz Zaman, Pakistan’s Commercial Counselor in Beijing.

“Normally there is a trend of cultivating traditional crops like wheat and rice in Pakistan but now the Pakistani farmers are also getting knowledge of high-end and high-priced products like sesame seeds. Similarly, they are also learning modern cultivation methods to increase production. So, hopefully Pakistan is going to be the top exporter of sesame seeds to China in coming years,” he told APP.

The counselor said after the signing of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) Phase-II, the Pakistani exporters had got access to the Chinese market for export of sesame seeds.

“Our exporters are very active. A number of new exporters have been added to the General Administration of Customs of China list that increased the scale, but still we have a big potential and the Pakistani farmers also understand the varieties and the types of the sesame seed that is popular in China,” Badar mentioned.

Pakistan, he said, was collaborating in the agriculture sector with China. “There have been specialists from China who are also guiding the Pakistani farmers on how to grow this crop.

Similarly, many agriculture machinery suppliers are also providing high-end technical machines like sorting machines to the Pakistani processors of the sesame seeds and the packaging has also improved.”

Last year, he said, Pakistan’s sesame seeds exports to China achieved a historical figure of $120.44 million.

China imported 92516.55 tons in the year 2021 and Pakistan was one of the main destinations for sesame seeds imports. In the year 2020, Pakistan exported only 38,000 kilograms of sesame seeds to China, according to the official data from the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC).

According to an exporter, the launch of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in the year 2020 brought an opportunity for both Pakistan and China to include sesame seeds to the list of 313 items and that helped reduce duty from previously 10% to zero.

In the past, Pakistan mainly exported sesame seeds to countries like Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Europe, and the United States. After the waiving of duty, China was the biggest importer for Pakistan Sesame Seeds in the last two years.

The crop in the year of 2020-2021 was recorded the highest exports in numbers from Pakistan out of which 54% of the total exports were to China.

Indeed, in itself, it is an achievement to earn foreign exchange by exporting produce. My concern is, why Pakistani businessmen are lagging behind in value addition? OR they always follow the mindset of 'get rich quick'.
Seasame is used as the main ingredient in many ME, Italian and Turkish sauces and sweets. it is better to get some expertise and export those sesame-based products for better margins.

 
Indeed, in itself, it is an achievement to earn foreign exchange by exporting produce. My concern is, why Pakistani businessmen are lagging behind in value addition? OR they always follow the mindset of 'get rich quick'.
Seasame is used as the main ingredient in many ME, Italian and Turkish sauces and sweets. it is better to get some expertise and export those sesame-based products for better margins.

Yes, the mindset has to be changed..
 
A must watch for those who have some agricultural knowledge, land and an urge to convert invaluable raw materials to valuable exports:

گندم کی توڑی، بھوسہ اور ناڑ, منافع بخش کاروبار میں کیسے بدلا جا سکتا ہے؟​


 
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QUETTA: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations on Tuesday signed a grant agreement for establishing a cold storage facility in Balochistan.

FAO Representative in Pakistan Florence Rolle, Balochistan Agriculture Secretary Umaid Ali Khokar, FAO Provincial International Programme Coordinator Waleed Mahdi, the project coordinator as well as government officials from the agriculture department and other FAO Balochistan staff attended the agreement signing ceremony.

The project, ‘The Horticulture Advancement Activity’ or THAzA, was funded by the United States Agency for International Department (USAID). It will support establishing the cold storage facility of 300 tonnes capacity to help farmers in Balochistan prolong the shelf life and marketability of their produce — ultimately resulting in increased profitable income and protecting farmers from financial losses during fluctuations in market prices.

The facility will increase incomes of farmers by strengthening connections between horticultural producers in Balochistan and markets across the country.

FAO signs grant agreement
The project, implemented in Balochistan and the newly merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is designed to improve completeness of the potential horticultural value chains within the target regions and markets.

In her opening remarks, Ms Rolle said that FAO was working with farmers and smallholder producers to make agriculture work for the most vulnerable communities through this project. “We have to show the people, especially the youth, that agriculture is an income-generating occupation that is worth investing in. We have to open up opportunities for job creation for the youth through competitive agricultural value chains and food processing,” she said.

Agriculture Secretary Umaid Ali Khokar said cold storage facilities were crucial to minimise post-harvest losses, however, it was one component that needs to be integrated in a cold chain network from the point of harvest to the point of purchase by the end consumer.

FAO International Programme Coordinator in Balochistan Waleed Mahdi expressed the hope that the first-ever high-level grant in Balochistan would address the problems that farmers and traders previously faced.

He said the farmers in Balochistan could now reap the benefits of cold storage and would be able to store their produce for long and to avoid peak season glut in the markets and resultant low prices for producers.

Mr Mahdi said THAzA project supported through in-kind matching grants aiming to address major impediments in the trading of fresh horticultural produce.

He said that it was good to see that the FAO’s technical support to smallholder producers and government institutions had already helped increase productive capacities in fresh fruits and vegetables, and spurred access to high-quality support services.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2022
 
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Onion field filled with its flowers somewhere near Nasarpur town of Sindh Pakistan. Nasarpur is famous for Onion production and for Kashi Kari Art.

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Onion is commercially grown in Pakistan on an area of 131.4 thousand hectares with the production of 1.8 million tones .
 
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Commercial production of Panjgur dates production factory has started.

The project is established in Panjgur area of Balochistan with a cost of $6 and a half million dollars by Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.

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ISLAMABAD: The new government on Monday decided to carry forward the observations of the PTI government and announced to import 200,000 tonnes of urea as buffer stocks before peak kharif demand in June 2022.

The fertiliser review committee meeting, chaired by Federal Minister for Industries and Production Makhdoom Syed Murtaza Mahmud, decided that the summary of urea import would be forwarded to the Economic Coordination Committee.

The country has an adequate supply of urea, the meeting was informed. Domestic production and demand for fertilisers for the kharif season were discussed at the meeting.

The participants were briefed that projected domestic production of urea would be 3.2 million tonnes from April to September 2022, whereas the probability of urea offtake would remain at 3.4m tonnes in the same period.

The forum was also told that there would be a two per cent increase in agronomic demand for fertilisers this year. It was noted that urea sales went up by 17pc last year.

In order to curb the hoarding and profiteering that leads to the smuggling of urea across the border due to the high price differential, the body decided to take strict measures in cooperation with the law enforcement agencies, the Federal Board of Revenue, and the Ministry of Interior to thwart cross-border trafficking of urea.

Mr Mahmud said that the government had geared up to ensure smooth, adequate and timely supply of key soil nutrients to farmers during the kharif season and that decisions would be taken accordingly.

The meeting observed that there was a recent price hike of urea from Rs1,768 per bag to Rs1,933 per bag, but officials of the fertiliser industry responded that prices were increased due to the financial cost of holding inventory and pending payment of subsidies and refunds from the government exchequer.
 
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Pakistan is the sixth largest producer of dates in the world, with a production capacity of 556,000 tons per year.

The project was built over an area of 5,710 square metres, adhering to the highest international specifications and standards, in terms of processing, packaging and storing of dates. It includes 15 production lines with a capacity of four tons per hour or more than 32,000 tons per day and contains refrigeration that can store up to 1,500 tons of ready-made dates.

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) had funded the project under the UAE-Pakistan Assistance Programme (UAE PAP). Since 2013, total financing that Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) offered for the projects in Pakistan reached $220 million.


May be an image of 4 people and text that says 'in f DEVELOPING PAKISTAN Pakistan to construct Dates Processing Factory Worth $6.36 Million in Balochistan'
 
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Cauliflower opens up new chapter for China-Pak agri tie up​

Grower says Chinese varieties increasing their incomes

April 26, 2022

while bitter gourd cauliflower taro roots arvi ladyfingers green chillies and potatoes also showed marginal increase in prices photo inp

While, bitter gourd, cauliflower, taro roots (arvi), ladyfingers, green chillies and potatoes also showed marginal increase in prices. PHOTO: INP


TIANJIN: “Pakistan imports more than 90% of the cauliflower seeds. Hybrid varieties are what we are badly in need of. Now, the major market share belongs to China. They can provide comparatively cheaper seeds,” noted Muhammad Muzaffar Raza, a science officer of Vegetable Research Institute at Ayub Agriculture Research Institute (AARI).

His viewpoint was echoed by a leading grower Farman Khan, “since we planted Chinese varieties, our income has greatly increased. Our market is in short supply of Chinese cauliflower seeds frequently.”

As a main vegetable on the table of Pakistanis, local cauliflower varieties in Pakistan have a long growth cycle and low yields, while high-end hybrid varieties are mostly monopolised by Western developed countries. However, cauliflower seeds of high quality from Tianjin have spanned a distance of nearly 4,500 kilometres and took root in Pakistan.

“Since 2016, we have cooperated with Pakistan on cauliflower hybrid planting by carrying out experiments, demonstrations and promotions in multiple growing seasons. So far, our orders have doubled several times,” said Sui Liying, Executive Deputy General Manager of Tianjin Tianlong Zaitian Agricultural Science and Technology Company, in an exclusive interview with China Economic Net.

“The yield per mu (0.067 hectares) of local varieties is 600-700 kilograms, while that of our varieties is basically 1,300-2,000 kilograms with certain late maturing variety even reaching 3,000-4,000 kilograms.”

“In the past, Pakistan used to think the quality of Chinese seeds seemed to be not as good as that of European countries and the US, but now they have changed this perception.”

“Our seed variety has a germination rate of 90%, above the international standard of 85%. You buy the seeds at a low price, but their survival rate is high. Farmers can get a double advantage.”

Pakistani farmers choose Chinese seeds not only because of low prices. “If you only rely on low prices to occupy the market, but the quality is not guaranteed, you will soon be eliminated from the market.” In this regard, Liying also proposed corresponding measures.

“Pakistan is located in South Asia, where the temperature is relatively high, so insects multiply rapidly, resulting in pests and diseases that seriously affect agricultural output.”
THE ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN THE CHINA ECONOMIC NET

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2022.
 
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Pakistani olive oil farmers eying cooperation with China​


The Frontier Post


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BEIJING (APP): China’s demand for Pakistani olive oil is high and as long as Pakistan has market demand or export demand, cooperation with China is absolutely imperative, said Zhou Ning, Marketing Director at Green Organic Food.

In addition to market, Pakistani farmers need Chinese agricultural technology and investment. Syed Yousaf Ali, a farmer with a 100-acre estate said that he is now using a Chinese machine that picks olives of different sizes. “Compared with other agricultural machines around the world, Chinese machines are inexpensive.”
Farhan Pasha, the scientific officer in charge of the olive program at the Barani Agricultural Research Institute, on the other hand, talking to China Economic Net (CEN) hoped to cooperate with China in terms of cold-pressing technology, pest control and other agricultural technologies.

Against the backdrop of successful cultivation of cash crops such as chili peppers, a joint venture between China and Pakistan for olive cultivation and processing is also a viable solution. Dr. Ramzan Ansari believes that it would be a win-win result for both countries if they receive assistance from China and start production here.
On a macro level, the cooperation between the two countries in the olive industry holds even greater potential. Dr. Ramzan Ansari suggested that some areas with high agricultural potential, including the Potohar region, could become exclusive agricultural zones under the China Pakistan Economic Corridoor (CPEC).

Pakistan’s nascent olive oil industry, although a late starter, has played a visible role in Pakistan’s food security and even economic recovery, as Inam ul Haq said, “If we can stop importing olive oil and make ourselves self-sufficient, then it will be an olive revolution for us. “
Pakistan’s annual vegetable oil consumption amounts to 5 million tons, while the share of some less-consumed vegetable oils such as mustard oil is about 400,000 tons. Thirty percent of the demand is satisfied by domestically produced oilseeds, while the remaining seventy percent is met by imports. Due to the increase in import prices, it is a severe test for Pakistan’s foreign trade deficit and foreign exchange reserves.

Pakistan, which has a large area of land suitable for growing olive trees, has been producing olive oil since 2010 with the help of countries such as Italy and Spain. Currently, it produces about 1,500 tons of olive oil and 830 tons of table olives per year, all of which are consumed domestically. Pakistan has set a target of producing 16,000 tons of olive oil by 2027.

Syed Yousaf Ali has been growing olives since 2006. In his opinion, the olive tree has low requirements of land.

Another farmer, Malik Shafiq, described the olive tree as a “tough plant”. It was an uneven wasteland when he started planting it a decade ago. “It is not affected by the worst weather conditions. It can grow in the wasteland, and the cost is half that of other crops.”
Farhan Pasha said that the main areas in Pakistan fit for olive cultivation are Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, in addition to Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan has 10 million acres of land suitable for olive cultivation, which is almost twice as much as Spain, the world’s largest olive oil producer. As olive trees are able to survive in dry, arid conditions not fit for other crops normally, they don’t compete with other fruit trees, grain crops or oil crops in these areas.

To encourage olive cultivation, the Pakistani government has planned to issue olive oil marketing and branding certification to the private sector. The goal of it is to plant over 50,000 acres in the country by 2022. Now, Pakistan is the only South Asian country to be included in the International Olive Council.

Inam ul Haq, who works as a horticulturist at the Barani Agricultural Research Institute in Chakwal, said that the local government has spared no efforts to subsidize olive cultivation. “Since 2015, the Punjab government has been providing subsidies to local gardeners to turn the Potohar region into ‘Olive Valley’, that is, providing olive saplings free of charge for plantation.”

In the past five years, nearly 1.4 million olive trees have been planted in Potohar region, covering almost 9,000 acres of land. The project has made use of less fertile and undeveloped land. In addition, the government has offered up to 70% subsidy on the installation of solar power systems and nearly 60% subsidy on drip irrigation systems, with an estimated 800 families getting benefits and turning their less fertile land into olive groves.

The government has also provided 50% subsidy to agricultural machines that may be needed during harvest seasons, such as shakers.

The advantages of growing olive trees are obvious. On the one hand, they can meet local demand for edible oil while reduce trade deficit, on the other hand, they mitigate climate change and effectively address the challenge of water security. It is no wonder that provincial governments have introduced subsidies to encourage olive cultivation.

Due to its favorable climate and geographical location, the quality of olive fruit produced in Pakistan is among the best around the world despite its late start.

According to Inam ul Haq, the quality of olive oil produced locally in Pakistan is almost the same as that of well-established olive producing countries. Farhan Pasha said that Pakistani olive oil from Quetta won the highest grade at a recent competition held in Italy.

At present, there are several traditional methods used in the harvesting of olive fruits, including knocking, hand harvesting and chemical ripening harvesting. In Pakistan, hand harvesting is mainly adopted. We’ve seen other countries have adopted mechanical harvesting, but we haven’t,” said Malik Shafiq.

Dr. Ramzan Ansari, who is in charge of olive research at the Barani Agricultural Research Institute, sees agricultural machines are what Pakistan lacks.

“Marketing is a completely different sector. A farmer can’t do everything by himself. What he can do is either marketing the product or adding value by processing the fruit. If business investors enter this sector and do value-added production and then marketing, it can make positive contribution to this sector and the society,” Syed Yousaf Ali said.
 
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Mechanization needed to boost rice production​


The Frontier Post

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ISLAMABAD (INP): Pakistan can further enhance its rice production and export by encouraging the use of mechanized methods of sowing WealthPK reported on Sunday.

Pakistan is the fourth-largest exporter of rice in the world. It has been using traditional methods of rice cultivation as compared to developed countries that are using modern machines for this purpose.

However, recently Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) conducted a field demonstration of the rice transplanter machine at the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC) in cooperation with Meskay & Femtee Trading Corporation.
A farmer from Narowal, Hamza Khalid, told WealthPK that using a modernized rice transplanter is beneficial for farmers in many ways. He said traditional methods of planting rice can only grow 70,000 to 80,000 plants per acre. By using a rice planter, the number of plants per acre can be increased up to 120,000, which significantly increases the crop production.

Secondly, through the traditional manual way, rice is planted in an asymmetric way. Some parts of the field could have more plants while some have fewer. By using a modern rice planter, the population per acre increases, and plants are sowed at equal distances.

According to another farmer, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Pakistan’s rice production had been 35 to 40 maunds per acre for the last 50 years. However, the use of rice planter has resulted in a significant increase in production at 65 to 70 maunds per acre.

Moreover, employing a rice transplanter can save labour cost. Planting rice in a manual way can take more time than in a mechanized way.

A rice planter is very beneficial for the farmers, but not every farmer can afford it. In this regard, the Government of Pakistan has started providing subsidies to farmers on rice planters so the cost could be minimized and more farmers could afford this mechanized method of farming.

It merits mentioning here that Pakistan is the 9th largest producer of rice in the world. To increase rice production, modern agriculture technologies are being used globally.

A record crop of 8.9 million tonnes of rice was harvested in Pakistan in the marketing year 2021-22, up from 8.4 million tonnes in the previous year, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)...
 
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...

In 2021, the Agriculture Department initiated “Introduction of Certification Facilities for Quality Assurance & Creation of Market Linkages for Agriculture Interventions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” project with a total cost of Rs. 286.527 million to improve product quality and ensure food safety and hygiene through various international certifications and also to provide market linkages and promote export of agriculture produce and products as per WTO standards.

Under the Reforms initiatives of the present government, the USAID Firms Project was engaged for reforming the Agriculture Marketing System in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, based on Rapid Agriculture Market Assessment and Good International practices. The policy is based on competition, free environment for marketing and regulation of private Agriculture Markets through a provincial marketing board.

The current provincial government has given top priority to the agriculture sector along with Health and Education. For the first time, the Southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been given attention, with mega projects under way to convert 1 lakh 63-thousand-acre barren land to agriculture land.

The feasibility of this mega project, CRBC lift Canal project has been conducted, and within 9 months the tender process will roll out. The second leg of this scheme, Gomal Zam Dam is also under way. Mahmood Khan, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in his recent speech on the Floor of the House appreciated the Ministry of Agriculture that made the development of these mega projects possible.

The current government, realizing the importance of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision of Agriculture Transformation, and the successful implementation of Sehat Insaf Card as a part of investment in Human development allocated an additional budget to include the introduction of the Agriculture card, which will provide Rs 1.0 Billion Subsidy on Agriculture Inputs for farmers in the province. For provision of subsidy on inputs the Kissan Card has been introduced which will facilitate the farmers to apply costly inputs at reasonable prices.

The initiatives and policies of the current government have brought out the potential of the Agriculture sector, providing job opportunities and minimizing food insecurity in the province. The establishment of research centers in various attached departments of the Department have provided advanced methods and techniques to improve their productivity. The current government has made the service delivery regarding agriculture, livestock and fisheries accessible and smooth.
 
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Agriculture is central to the economic and cultural lives of more than 32 million people living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), contributing 24% to provincial GDP, and employing the largest portion of the labour force of KP at 44%, while livestock and agriculture together provide livelihoods to 83% of the people living in rural areas.

To augment the Agriculture and Livestock sector through advance research and academia as well as skilled labour force, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa establish two new Agricultural Universities one at D.I Khan and one at Swat, so that the residents of Southern and Northern regions which are the potential area for Agriculture and horticulture crops could also have specialized academic Institutions for the youth of the Province.

Another milestone which the KP Government has achieved is the establishment of the first Veterinary Sciences University at Swat which will produce graduates within the sector for providing services to the society.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Mehmood Khan and the dedication of his team, the PTI provincial government has taken numerous key steps to develop and modernize the agriculture sector. The initiatives and policies of the current government have brought out the potential of this sector, providing job opportunities and minimizing food insecurity in the province.

The department was once considered to be among the neglected ones, but soon after the Chief Minister Mehmood Khan has taken the charge of his august office, his special attention for reforms in Agriculture sector, the department is now the one among all line departments, utilizing their developmental budget with 100% margin & has been appreciated to top of the list.

In 2019 the provincial Agriculture department has made it to the list of top 10 departments & the previous year by making the history by achieving the top of the list due to not having only 100% utilization of the allocated annual budget but even the surplus of over & above utilization to their achievement list as well. The establishment of research centers in various attached departments of the Department have provided advanced methods and techniques to improve their productivity.

The current government has made the service delivery regarding agriculture, livestock and fisheries accessible and smooth.
 
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Punjab, the country's largest province and the bread basket, produces 70% of the country's total mangoes, whereas Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces yield 29% and 1%, respectively.

Until 2018, Pakistan produced 1.9 million metric tonnes of mangoes annually, thus ranking sixth in the world, preceded by India, China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Mexico.

The country’s mango production has declined over the past four years, a phenomenon blamed on global warming.

Currently, Pakistan's annual mango production stands between 1.7 million and 1.8 million metric tonnes.

"Unusual temperatures in March and April have wreaked havoc on mango production over the past few years, causing a significant reduction in its quantity," said Shahid Hameed Bhutta, a grower from Multan city, another big mango producing district.

Temperatures soared to 38-42 degrees Celsius in March and April in Multan, at least 6 degrees higher than usual causing massive fruit-shedding.

At this stage, when the mangoes are nearly ripe, Bhutta said a temperature of 32 and 34 degrees Celsius is ideal.

Water shortages and unavailability of diesel and electricity to run the tube wells are other reasons cited by Bhutta for a drop in mango production.

Mango will be expensive this year

Waheed Ahmad, a leading mango exporter, says there is bad news for mango lovers this year.

"The fruit will be expensive for this year as a 50% decrease in the country's overall mango production is expected due to multiple factors, particularly the ongoing water shortages," Akhtar Said, who is also president of Pakistan Fruits Exporters Association told Anadolu Agency.

This year, he said, the association has reduced the export target from 150,000 metric tonnes to 125,000 metric tonnes due to less production, which would be no more than 900,000 metric tonnes.

Rising sea and air fares, Akhtar added, have further added to the exporters' hardships.

Echoing a similar view, Bhutta fears there would be a 40% to 50% drop in mango yields this year.

Despite this, Bhutta hopes that the country would meet the export target of 150,000 metric tonnes if "exporters give a good rate to the growers."
 
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