Pakistan Agriculture Developments

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Engro Foods empowers farmers with Big Push project

KARACHI: Engro Foods, along with the Punjab Skill Development Fund (PSDF), started the Big Push for Rural Economy (BPRE) project in 2017. The project targeted approximately 9,000 individuals across the south Punjab region. It covered over 60 villages in the region, namely Chishtian, Haroonabad, Faqeerwali, Lodhran, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalnagar and Dunyapur.

The project trained selected individuals as livestock extension workers, artificial insemination, technicians, farm supervisors and village milk collectors. It kicked off in February 2017 and is coming to a close in June 2018. Over the course of roughly one year, the project reached out to more than 11,000 individuals. Speaking about the success of the project, Director Agri Business of Engro Foods Limited Syed Saud Ahmed Pasha said, “Over the past several years, the company has participated in many developmental projects, which added value to the dairy industry of Pakistan.”

 

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Pakistan does not have "massive fertile land", rather we have a limited amount of fertile land which is very rich in nutrients and irrigated by several massive rivers. The reason for this rich fertility is the 8000 years of continuous farming that have occurred in the Indus Valley since the first pastorolists arrived in Mehrgarh in around 7000 BCE.

This is why in the entire 9000 years of history of the Indus Valley, we've never heard of any major famine...that is until the European colonialism began in 1842 coupled with advances in medical technology and science. This led to people living longer, which meant a sudden boom in the population - our water table and current available fertile land will not be able to sustain anything above 250 million. Furthermore, during European colonialism, a culture of "moving to the cities" occurred as industrialization replaced agriculture as the prime type of work.

This means more fertile agricultural land will be destroyed around cities (ie. Lahore).

Pakistan has to curb its growth rate...ideally, we should be around 150 million. Nothing more than that.

 

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AFTER remaining subdued for some time, meat exports are back on the rise, brightening the scope for export earnings to touch the $250 million mark at the end of this fiscal year in June.

In March and April, Pakistan earned about $61m through meat exports, which somewhat compensated for a sluggish trend seen in the previous eight months of the current fiscal year and pushed 10 months’ exports close to $190m.

Exporters say that exports have remained strong in May as well, and they hope for the trend to continue in June. If that turns out to be the case, Pakistan’s meat exports in this fiscal year will reach $250m, up from $221m in the last year, but still lower than $269m in fiscal year 2016.

“Lately, our meat exporters have managed to regain part of their lost market share in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region,” says an official of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.

Officials and meat exporters say that the rising trend in meat exports looks sustainable now as the process of Halal certification has become smoother than in the past and some export houses have made investments in slaughtering and processing technologies.

“A rising trend in demand for meat in GCC countries and the ability of our exporters to increase shipments of frozen meat and meat products can give a further boost to meat exports”, says an APMEA official

They add that during this fiscal year, growth in meat exports has originated mainly from larger shipments to four out of six GCC nations, ie Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and some others including Afghanistan, China, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

Exports to two other GCC states, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have seen a decline as meat imports in Saudi Arabia from the United States, New Zealand and Australia have grown, and Qatar is importing more meat from Turkey.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have also upgraded their local meat processing and continue to import Australian cows and sheep for slaughtering and processing at home, market reports suggest.

“However, a general rising trend in demand for meat in GCC countries and the ability of our exporters to increase shipments of frozen meat and meat products in particular can give further boost to meat exports”, says an official of the All Pakistan Meat Exporters Association (APMEA).

He says that the issues that recently surfaced in social media regarding health and accommodation of Australian sheep bound for exports has little to do with the current rising trend in Pakistan’s meat exports.

But some exporters insist that even though Australian authorities had swiftly responded to those issues, Kuwait and the UAE are no longer importing Australian live sheep as freely as last year. That, in turn, has created more demand for imports of sheep and goat meat and Pakistan has emerged as a major supplier.

During Ramazan, Indonesia is importing beef from Brazil to keep local prices stable due to seasonal growth in demand. Pakistan could have used this opportunity to export beef there.

But this has not happened, according to market sources, because despite developing an initial understanding Pakistan has so far not secured a lower tariff on Pakistani exports of meat to Indonesian markets.

APMEA Chairman Nasib Ahmad Saifi says that if our foreign trade mission works more diligently, meat exports to China, Indonesia, Turkey, Central Asian States, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Lebanon and Morocco could be enhanced greatly in the near future.

There are some 30 plus meat-exporting companies in Pakistan that are members of the APMEA. Some, such as Fauji Meat Ltd., Pak Livestock, Al-Shaheer Corporation and Green Meadows, have their own livestock-holding farms equipped with the most modern slaughtering and processing facilities.

In the past few years, marketing departments of meat exporting companies have expanded their outreach, thanks to the development of e-commerce. The growth potential of meat exports to China is immense but a real breakthrough may come only by increasing exports via land routes.

And for that to happen, our exporters and the government need to make some investments in safe and hygienic transportation of meat consignments. APMEA officials insist that sustainable growth in meat exports needs a shift in policy from encouraging live animal exports to promoting value-added meat products.

The Association had been pressing the government to abolish live animal export quotas altogether and offer some sort of rebate on exports of value-added meat products of higher per-unit export value to boost export revenues.

They add that the federal government should subsidise energy supply to meat processors and direct our trade missions abroad to look into the complaints of stuck-up export revenues of some small- and medium-sized exporters with the importing companies in the GCC region.

 

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Punjab promotes drip irrigation to fight water shortage

KARACHI / LAHORE: The government of Punjab, in collaboration with the World Bank, is encouraging drip irrigation in the province as part of ongoing Punjab Irrigated Agriculture Productivity Improvement Project in order to overcome water scarcity, said a spokesman for the Agriculture Department.

Under the project, he said, the department was installing drip and sprinkler irrigation systems on farms at subsidised charges.

Drip irrigation is suitable for crop cultivation when irrigation water or rainwater is scarce for conventional farming. This technology has so far been adopted by many farmers across Punjab because of acute shortage of river water and limited rainfall.

 

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Project launched to promote commercial forestry

PHOTO FILE

LAHORE: In order to increase forest coverage in the province, the South Punjab Forest Company (SPFC) has launched a novel commercial forestry project.

The project, besides benefiting the environment, is estimated to generate Rs20 billion during the next 20 years.

SPFC CEO Tahir Rasheed briefed the media on Thursday about the company’s initiative and highlighted developments in the forestry sector around the world. He said that the company has adopted a commercial forestry model that is being rolled out in Pakistan for the first time under the public-private-partnership.

Under the project, the government has provided abandoned forest land to the private and corporate sector for commercial forestry, which will benefit the environment and economy alike. The project had already received approvals from its board of directors and the Public Private Partnership (PPP) steering committee before it solicited proposals from investors for over 99,077 acres of land in Southern Punjab.

He said, “Due to the comprehensive bidding process, 348 bids were received which were opened by an independent Bids Opening and Evaluation Committee (BOEC) in the presence of bidders and the media. Out of 189 projects, the SPFC received bids on 124 projects, which was 61,749 acres out of the total 99,077 acres. Furthermore, the average produce sharing ratio received was 36 per cent which was double than what was set, for instance, 15 per cent.”

He said that he had received final approval from the cabinet committee of the government of Punjab, after which the concession agreements have been signed with investors. “A total of 43 concession agreements have been signed with investors so far and now the company is waiting for administrative department’s (Punjab Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Department) green signal to direct its field formations to initiate the process of handing over of forest land to concessionaires, who have met all requirements.

Rasheed said that the model of commercial forestry can be replicated in urban centres as well in order to achieve the goal of resilient cities, which can help address the issues of smog, heat wave, and urban flooding.

He told media about socio-economic and environmental benefits of SPFC’s initiative and highlighted that around 40 million trees will be planted under this programme in underprivileged districts of southern Punjab. It will help in sequestration of 35 million tons of carbon from the environment and will generate nearly 15,000 green jobs.

Out of total 40 million trees, Rasheed indicated the SPFC will conserve 25 per cent indigenous tree species during the project duration that will help increasing forest area of the province. As all these trees are planted by private sector investors mostly for commercial purposes so it will generate an economic activity of around Rs240 billion, while the government will get a revenue of Rs20 billion from the project. In addition, mitigation of climate change through massive carbon sequestration will improve the micro-climate of Punjab and also assist the government in achieving its commitments laid out under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and Agenda 2030 among others, he added.

The SPFC is a Punjab government’s entity, established as a public-sector company, under section 42 of the Companies Act, 2017, in the province of Punjab. It aims to stimulate private sector investments alongside public money to reduce deforestation in Punjab and to combine forest conservation with sustainable economic development. The investment objective of the company is to encourage the investment in assets that can be established and managed on an environmentally and socially sustainable basis.

 

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KARACHI: Horticulture exports, which currently stand at around $600 million, have the potential to increase ten times and reach $6 billion by 2030. A roadmap has now been prepared to achieve the target.
Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) Patron-in-Chief and Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Vice-president Waheed Ahmed said he wants to hand over the plan to the elected government that comes into power after general elections on July 25.

“The new government will not have to evaluate what to do. We would hand them the roadmap and tell them what needs to be done for the sector,” Waheed said during the curtain-raising ceremony of Pakistan Horticulture Vision 2030 (PHV-2030) at the FPCCI head office. The PHV-2030 would be revealed in another ceremony on July 18.

Increasing exports is crucial for an economy like Pakistan that faces a bulging current account deficit and falling foreign exchange reserves. Amid deteriorating macroeconomic conditions, the currency has shed 13% of its value in the last seven months, triggering inflation and interest-rate hike, reports The Express Tribune.

Waheed emphasised three areas will require focus. “The production area would have to be increased for horticulture production. Second, varieties would have to be increased for export purpose. Third, modern techniques would need to be employed to increase yield per unit area,” he said. All this would enable the sector to move towards value-addition, he added. “Value-addition can only be increased if we have surplus production.”


Waheed said Pakistan needs to come out of the traditional export of potatoes, onions, mangoes, and kinnow and expand its exportable varieties.

Meanwhile, Commonwealth Agriculture Bureau International (CABI) Director Dr Babar Bajwa said that Pakistan has always focused on urban development but the country’s fortune will only change when it starts developing rural areas and turn them into cities. CABI is an international agricultural research organisation.

Also speaking on the occasion, State Bank of Pakistan Executive Director Samar Hasnain said that for the central bank the agriculture sector holds a top priority. He said, SBP believes three sectors were extremely important for the country, economically and socially, which includes agriculture, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and low-cost housing.

Hasnain said financial inclusion and Islamic banking could help these sectors evolve effectively.

He said that agriculture credit disbursement has increased considerably in the recent past and Rs1,000 billion will now be disbursed this year. But geographically there exist high disparities in credit disbursement, which needs to be addressed, he lamented He said that the sector needs to avail the enticing provision of credit at a fixed rate of 6% for next seven years.

Pakistan’s horticulture exports stood at $571 million for the year 2016-17 and now the sector is expecting an increase of 10% to 15% for the year 2017-18.

 

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Food exports surge 29.28pc to over $4.797 billion

July 21, 2018


The food exports from the country surged by 29.28 percent during the outgoing fiscal year 2017-18 against the exports of the same period of last year.

The food exports from the country were recorded at $4797.936 million during July-June (2017-18) against the exports of $3711.159 million during July-June (2016-17), showing growth of 29.28 percent, according to the latest data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics(PBS).

Among the food products, the exports of rice increased by 26.78 percent by growing from $1606.834 million last year to $2037.075 million. Among the rice varieties, exports of basmati rice increased by 19.14 percent while the exports of other rice commodities increased by 29.78 percent.

Meanwhile, the exports of fish and fish preparations from the country increased by 14.57 percent by growing from $393.662 million to $451.026 million while the exports of fruits increased by 5.08 percent by going up from $184.016 million to $241.426 million.

Likewise, the exports of vegetables increased by 30.56 percent, from $184.916 million to $241.426 million whereas the exports of tobacco increased by 76.01 percent, from $14.813 million to $26.073 million.

Sugar exports from the country increased by 215 percent, from $161.039 million to $508.333 million while the wheat exports went up from $1.038 million to $236.339 million, showing growth of 22668 percent.

Exports of meat and meat preparation increased by 2.26 percent by growing form $220.662 million last year to $225.646 million during July-June (2017-18), the PBS data revealed.

The food products that witnessed negative growth in exports included leguminous vegetables, exports of which declined by cent percent. The exports of oil seeds, nuts and kernels also decreased by 21.35 percent

It is pertinent to mention here that the overall merchandise exports from the country surged by 13.74 percent during the fiscal year 2017-18 as compared to the previous fiscal year (2016-17).

The exports from the country during July-June (2017-18) were recorded at $23.228 billion against the exports of $20.422 billion in July-June (2016-17), showing growth of 13.74 percent, according to the latest data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

Imports into the country during the period also increased by 15.10 percent by going up from $52.910 billion in FY 2016-17 to $60.898 billion during FY 2017-18.

Based on the figures, the external trade deficit during the outgoing fiscal year 2017-18 increased by 15.95 compared to last year.

 

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Pak-China coop beneficial for giving boost to agri sector

August 26, 2018



BEIJING - China-Pakistan's growing socio-economic cooperation will be equally beneficial for giving boost to the agriculture sector, enhancing per acre yield of wheat crop.

Farmers in Pakistan are expecting improved crop yields as field trials conducted by a Chinese State-owned enterprise involving hybrid wheat has yielded impressive results.

Chinas' Sinochem Group Co, which has interests in chemicals and other agriculture-related services, has conducted field trials of hybrid wheat varieties and realized on average 24.4 percent increase in crop yields, according to company officials.

It is also playing an important role in boosting trade ties under the country's innovative Belt and Road Initiative.

"The tests on the hybrid varieties were implemented in 230 sites, spread over 2,000 hectares of land, mostly in experimental bases or local farms," said Chen Zhaobo, general manager of CNSGC HybridWheat Seed (Beijing) Company.

"The good results from the experiments offer bright prospects for large-scale cultivation of hybrid varieties in Pakistan." The project's local partners said that yields from hybrid wheat varieties rose as much as 50.1 percent from 2017 to 2018 in the northern wheat growing areas and by 45 percent in the central areas.

Wide cultivation of such high-yielding hybrid wheat varieties will provide more options for Pakistan to secure food supply, said Zhang Shengquan, manager of the scientific research department with CNSGC Hybrid Wheat Seed (Beijing) Co.

To develop hybrids that are distinct to Pakistani crop conditions, the company has established a research center in China's Yunnan province, Zhang said.

Compared with China, wheat cultivating areas in Pakistan often suffer from drought and high temperatures.

The company has so far deployed 150 technicians in Pakistan to solve project-related problems and they have traveled nearly 10,000 kilometers and to more than 20 cities, Chen said.

Song Weibo, vice-president of the agriculture business unit at Sinochem and general manager of ChinaNational Seed Group Co, said the former will continue its efforts to promote hybrid wheat in Belt and Road-related countries and regions.

 

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Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy; it therefore follows that agricultural machinery holds significant value for the country. Tractors account for most of the farm mechanisation in Pakistan and we are now on the verge of complete localisation in terms of production.

The tractor market is growing and in 2017, over 60,000 tractors were sold. The market is dominated by three manufacturers. Millat Tractors (Massey Ferguson), Al-Ghazi Tractors (New Holland – formerly Fiat) and IMT Tractors; their market share is 60, 35 and one percent respectively. Smaller brands, such as Belarus Tractors, John Deere and others, import tractors as completely built-up units (CBU) and semi knocked-down (SKD) units and cater to the remaining four percent. Production capacity stands at 70,000 units per annum and models range from 55 to 85hp. Thanks to an indigenisation programme initiated in the eighties by the Pakistan Tractor Corporation, the industry has achieved 95% localisation in terms of production.

“Labour is cheap and we indigenised production a long time ago. We are only importing five percent of the components, mainly pistons and fuel pumps as completely knocked-down (CKD) units. So there is no amortisation cost; hence, we only have the variable cost of production. This is why, Pakistan makes the lowest priced tractors in the world. A 55hp tractor that costs about $7,000 in Pakistan would cost in the region of $20,000 in Turkey, $25,000 in Europe and $30,000 in USA” said Saeed Mushtaq, Head of Marketing, Al-Ghazi Tractors.

Despite the lower prices, penetration in Pakistan still stands at 0.9hp per hectare of cultivable land, much lower than the international norm of a minimum 1.7hp per hectare.
The low prices of Pakistani tractors have given manufacturers an edge in international markets who are exporting to Afghanistan and many African countries. However, exports are limited to certain countries due to internal agreements between the brand owners and their Pakistani producers and because of the lack of technological advancement in Pakistani tractors.

Yet, despite the lower prices, penetration in Pakistan still stands at 0.9hp per hectare of cultivable land, much lower than the international norm of a minimum 1.7hp per hectare. This is because the sales depend on the interplay of numerous factors, including the availability of capital for the farmer, interest rates on lease, government subsidy programmes for the purchase of tractors and fertilisers as well as the presence of small and scattered landholdings.

Growth in this sector is still not stable and there are spells of extremely high and low sales. Sales decline considerably when farmers bear losses and bounce back when the government initiates farmer-friendly policies or there is a bumper crop. The average agricultural landholding size is approximately 12.5 acres, due to which it is not viable for most farmers to invest in a tractor unless banks provide leasing facilities on low mark-up rates or the government provides subsidies on their purchase.

“The mark-up on agricultural loans is about 14%, which is very high and explains why the share of loans for tractors is just about 10%. Currently, the only subsidy scheme available is the Sindh Tractor Scheme by the Government of Sindh, and the largest public sector agriculture development financial institution in the country, Zarai Taraqiati Bank, have shifted their focus from agricultural financing to commercial activities,” says S. M. Irfan Aqueel, CEO, Millat Tractors.

The Federal Government did provide some respite by slashing GST by a further five percent in 2016, down from the initial 16%. This brought prices down by Rs 32,000 to 50,000, depending on the model/horsepower, boosting sales considerably. Another boost came from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is using a large number of tractors in its construction projects. Thanks to CPEC, 38,620 tractors were sold in the first nine months of 2017, compared to 22,169 units during the same period in 2016.

A big bottleneck that the industry had long ignored is the underutilisation of tractors due to the lack of implements for various agricultural activities, including tertiary (harvesting), secondary (agronomic practices) and primary (soil preparation) and the lack of awareness among farmers about these implements.
According to Mushtaq, if the boost provided by CPEC continues for a significant period of time and the government provides further support in the form of abolition of customs duties and a reduction in input tax, the industry will be in a position to invest in capacity building and further reduce prices, making tractors more affordable.

However, a big bottleneck that the industry had long ignored is the underutilisation of tractors due to the lack of implements for various agricultural activities, including tertiary (harvesting), secondary (agronomic practices) and primary (soil preparation) and the lack of awareness among farmers about these implements. This limits the benefits of a tractor and as a result, makes its purchase a less attractive prospect.

“To address this issue, Millat has put great focus on awareness building among farmers and most of our marketing budgets are dedicated to BTL activities such as farmer education programmes, equipment demos and agricultural ‘melas,’” explained Aqueel.

Al-Ghazi are also making efforts in this direction. “In addition to BTL activities, our 80 sales and service centres across the country are spreading awareness and facilitating farmers in moving towards mechanisation,” added Mushtaq.

There is ample evidence that mechanisation can increase agricultural productivity by as much as 30% and reduce costs by 20%, by eliminating labour shortages, improving the timelines of agricultural operations, allowing inter-cropping, reducing tillage and ensuring efficient use of resources. Hence, it is believed that the tractor industry has the power to drive the country towards the next phase of agricultural growth.

Although Pakistan’s tractor industry may be facing challenges of growth on several fronts, the extensive cultivable land that is still untouched presents a strong opportunity for growth.

 

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Growers asked to cultivate seedless kinnow

SARGODHA - The Citrus Research Institute Sargodha (CRIS) experts have urged growers to cultivate seedless kinnows to compete in the international markets. The country's export can only be increased after planting seedless kinnow plants as per demand of the world, CRIS Director Nawaz Maiken said while talking to APP on Monday. He said the CRIS was arranging seminars and consultative programmes for improvement of kinnow

 

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Pakistan's tractor industry at a glance

An overview of Pakistan's tractor industry, and the challenges it currently faces

 

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ISLAMABAD: The recent inclusion of the agriculture sector in the long-term plan of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) provides Pakistan with an opportunity to significantly reduce its huge trade deficit of around $9 billion with China by exporting more value-added agriculture products to China to tap its growing demand for food commodities.

Under the project, China would transfer its technology to Pakistan to increase the per acre yield of various crops, and to add more value to the agriculture products.

The CPEC long-term plan envisages the significant development of the agriculture sector of Pakistan – an often-overlooked area amidst the developments being made in the energy, infrastructure, and industrial sectors of the country, said an annual report “State of Economy 2017-18” launched by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

Pakistan can enhance its exports through various CPEC initiatives and by tapping into the growing import dependence of China.

In the agriculture sector, out of China’s global food imports of around $99.6 billion, Pakistan’s share is only around 0.37 per cent (roughly $0.4 billion).

According to the report, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR), in its 2018 Food Security Policy, envisages the development of nine agricultural development zones along the CPEC.

By encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration, the zones could serve as platforms to develop clusters and infrastructure to nurture emerging rural businesses in an effort to produce commodities deemed exportable to China. These commodities include cereals, dairy, eggs, meat, honey, tobacco, seafood and fruits, and others.

Meanwhile, according to sources in the Planning Ministry, a major progress is expected during the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China early next month where the two countries may sign a legal framework agreement under the corridor to bring investment in the sector and exporting surplus produce to feed the growing Chinese population.

Ambassador of China in Pakistan, Yao Jing during a press briefing here also indicated that China was eagerly waiting for the first visit of Imran Khan to China where a number of the projects under CPEC including ones related to the agriculture sector would be finalized.

He also said that China was eager to invest more in Pakistan and buy more from the country for its economic development.

The report added that in the crop sector, there is a focus on increasing the use of modern machinery and synthetic fertilizers to enhance the yields, while food storage and processing zones would be constructed to reduce significant post-harvest losses.

Similarly, the building of cold storage stations and meat processing plants is also being planned to enhance the productivity of livestock and fisheries sectors besides making their output more competitive in the international market. These developments hold the potential to not only boost the agriculture output of the country but also to narrow the trade imbalance between China and Pakistan by expanding food exports to the former.

The report pointed out that due to growing demand of processed food in China, the country has been planning to start investing in the agriculture sector in all the countries along its broader Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China has so far invested $3.4 billion in agriculture sector abroad.

China intends to develop various food processing and storage stations across BRI economies to mitigate price fluctuations and increase the supply of food products for the domestic market.

Resultantly, China intends to develop various food processing and storage stations across BRI economies to mitigate price fluctuations and increase the supply of food products for the domestic market.

The development of the agriculture sector under CPEC can also serve as an opportunity to modernize the processing segment of the agriculture sector.

 

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Zilt Proefbedrijf interested in setting up joint venture in agriculture sector
Zilt Proefbedrijf, for a decade, has been researching the salt tolerance of existing, conventional agricultural crops which could give food in saline areas

KARACHI: A Dutch-based entity Zilt Proefbedrijf has shown interest to set up a joint venture in the agriculture sector to take advantage for salt-tolerant plant species in Pakistan, according to an official at Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP).

According to the official, a meeting of the Commerce Ministry officials occurred with Zilt Proefbedrijf in Hague in October, reports The News.

And the official added the Dutch were meeting with the appropriate bodies to explore the chances in this regard and the meeting also deliberated development of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and GSP+ status.

Zilt Proefbedrijf, for a decade, has been researching the salt tolerance of existing, conventional agricultural crops which could give food in saline areas.


This offers the Dutch a chance to not only become the leaders in research into saline cultivation but become the foremost globally in the actual development and marketing of new salt tolerant plant varieties.

Also, the official stated Zit was interested in exploring investment chances in developing and marketing salt tolerant plant varieties.

However, experts believe considering the rising dearth of freshwater globally, there is an immediate need to focus on a nature-based solution to fight the challenges posed by food insecurity.

The yearly cost of crop losses from the issue has been projected in a range of Rs 15 billion to Rs 55 billion.

As per the FAO study, the reforestation of salt-affected soils is possible with the assistance of proper site preparation, choice of species and nurturing of nursery and planting techniques.

 

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Hybrid wheat successfully harvested in Pakistan: Global Times

In different areas across the country, hybrid wheat from China has been successfully grown and is likely to be introduced in other Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries as well.

China’s biggest agricultural inputs company, Sinochem Group Agriculture Division’s Song Weibo told the Global Times on Tuesday that the company’s hybrid wheat has been harvested on a large scale in Pakistan using the two-line hybrid technique.

According to Song, the company is also looking to promote hybrid wheat in North America and Europe.

Citing data from the University of Agriculture in #Peshawar, an expert from the Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences ( BAAFS) said that Pakistan has increased wheat production in the north by 50.1 per cent in the last two years.

According to data from Pakistan-based Guard Agricultural Research and Services Company shows that during the same period, wheat production in the country’s middle regions has increased by 45 per cent.

Analysts hailed the project as an example of China’s commitment to transfer advanced technologies and promote regional development in the framework of the BRI.

China is promoting domestically developed hybrid wheat for commercial purposes. The two-line hybrid technique is often used in hybrid rice and wheat and can increase wheat production by 20 per cent.

Hybrid wheat, which was developed by BAAFS’ Engineering Research Center for Hybrid Wheat in 1992 has been proven to outperform standard wheat in terms of yield, water usage and resistance to disease.

Song said Sinochem has sent many experts to Pakistan to teach local farmers how to plant the wheat. “Around 150 experts have been sent to Pakistan, where they visited over 20 cities,” Song said.

University of Agriculture Peshawar’s professor Muhammad Arif said that no one has achieved China’s level of success in hybrid wheat, although the world has been studying hybrid it.

With the help from Chinese experts, the technique could yield around 6,000 kg per hectare, twice that of local wheat production, Arif said, adding it could free up land for other agriculture products.

Shanghai Institute for the International Studies Center for Asia-Pacific Studies Director, Zhao Gancheng said the project could help Pakistan ensure food security and also promote China-Pakistan ties

 

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BAIR TREE (ZIZIPHUS MAURITIANA) FRUIT TREE OF THARPARKAR DESERT SINDH

Ber/Bair/Borari is a fruit bush/tree of Thar Desert, mostly found in plan areas as well as on sand dunes. The scientific name of Bair is Zizphus mauritiana and belongs to class magnoliopsida, order rosales and family Rhamnaceae of Plant Kingdom.

There are two types of beer/ber/bar are found in Thar Desert 1. Wild Jujube (small beer) 2. Apple Beer, both are very testy and nutrient fruit.
According to the habitat of Ber Tree, it is amazing in its potential to tolerate in drought as well as water-logging.Beri might grow in dry tropical and subtropical climates with adequate soil moisture, with normal to high rainfall as well as temperature up to 50oC.

According to scientific studies, the tree grows best on sandy loam, neutral or slightly alkaline and the ber/bair tree flourishes in high pH soils. When the plant reaches on about 4-5 feet height it starts produce fruit and seed. Mostly ripen in February & March every year but some plants ripen in March, some in October too.
Leaves of the tree are favorite fodder of goat. The leaves have a very high nutritive value.