Pakistan Agriculture Developments

[ghazi52]

China expresses interest in importing Pakistani potatoes

KARACHI: China has expressed keen interest in importing Pakistani potatoes at a time when farmers are facing a crisis due to low prices and demanding subsidy to continue to produce the crop.

“China seems to be keen to buy Pakistani potato, which is vastly encouraging,” said a statement released by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research on Thursday.

The Asian superpower expressed willingness to buy the vegetable during a meeting with the Pakistani ambassador.

 

[ghazi52]

Role of agri engineering for development of agriculture sector



Agricultural Mechanization is an important sub-sector for the national economy. Farm mechanization involves introduction of suitable farm machines and their availability either through design / development process, localization of adapted technologies through agricultural machinery manufacturing industry.
Main aim of farm mechanization are to: 1) increase productivity of land and labour; 2) bring in more area under cultivation; 3) conserve energy and resources; 4) sustain agriculture production; 5) improve operator’s comfort and safety 6) protect environment; and 7) increase farm profits.

In the persuasion, Agricultural Engineering Institute (AEI) of National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) working under Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) aims to promote farm mechanization in the country through designing / development, performance evaluation and commercialization of appropriate agricultural mechanization technologies by involving both public and private sector organizations.

The Agricultural Engineering Institute (AEI), NARC under PARC has developed following Technologies and also commercialized it successfully.

 

[ghazi52]

Qatar lifts ban on import of Pak rice

Qatar has lifted ban on the import of rice from Pakistan that would provide additional US $ 40-50 million of rice exports to Qatar.

During visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Qatar on 21-22 January 2019, the Qatari government has finally agreed to include Pakistan-origin rice in the tender documents of the Central Tendering Committee which falls directly under the purview of Qatar’s Ministry of Economy & Commerce.

 

[ghazi52]

Potato exports to start from early Feb
January 24, 2019

Minister says all options being exhausted to address growers' concerns.

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan has announced that the ministry is exhausting all possible options to dispel apprehensions of potato growers and its basic focus is on facilitating the export of potato, which will start soon with potential increase this season.

The minister made the announcement at a meeting held on Thursday to review the current situation ahead of potato exports, which were going to start formally in the first week of February.

Besides the minister, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood and Federal Food Security Secretary Hashim Popalzai were also present in the meeting. They discussed various options to facilitate a smooth export of the surplus commodity and address concerns of the farmers.

The food ministry is setting up a facilitation centre in Okara, Punjab for the farmers and exporters prior to the start of overseas shipments.

Speaking on the occasion, Food Security Secretary Popalzai revealed that the government was negotiating with the stakeholders and different options were being considered for the purchase of surplus potato harvest.

It was proposed that the Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) may buy a considerable quantity from the growers to provide relief. The step is expected to facilitate the potato growers and improve the crisis-like situation.

“We are negotiating with provincial agriculture departments and there is another option of the provision of cold storage facilities to the potato growers by the Punjab government,” the minister said.

These options were being negotiated and after deliberations, one or both would be finalised, he said. “Our efforts are targeted at providing ultimate benefit to the farmers,” the minister remarked.

The ministry insists that it is trying to ensure that no tax is imposed on the export of potato and for the purpose the Federal Board of Revenue has been consulted to facilitate shipments.

Moreover, the issue of Afghan duty is being negotiated and relevant quarters are being approached for the reduction of the levy on potato exports.

 

[ghazi52]

Chakwal farmers expecting bumper wheat crop due to timely rainfall

Rain on Monday and Tuesday has given local farmers hope of a good wheat crop.


CHAKWAL: The rain on Monday and Tuesday has given local farmers hope of a bumper wheat crop.

“I have cultivated wheat on eight acres and because of the timely and heavy rain, I am looking forward to a promising yield,” said Asif Ali Khan, a farmer in Chakwal.

Other farmers in the Potohar region are happy with it raining when the wheat crops needed it the most.

“The wheat crop in the Potohar region is at the tillering stage, when plants grow lateral branches, and plants need much moisture during this stage. It rained just in time for this,” said Dr Mohammad Khalid, assistant director agriculture extension, Chakwal.

Wheat has been cultivated on 300,000 acres in the Chakwal district, he said, and that a bumper yield is expected this year due to the timely rain.

However, the rain has also led to the growth of various weeds in the wheat fields.

“Farmers should spray herbicides in their wheat fields so that weeds which have just started growing can be eradicated,” Dr Khalid said.

He also urged farmers to use urea fertilisers on their wheat crops for better yield.

“Enough moisture has gathered in the soil due to the rain and there is also enough dew to mix the urea in the soil,” he said, and suggested half a bag of urea for one acre.

On the other hand, though it rained heavily in most areas of the Rawalpindi Division, it did not rain in the Talagang Tehsil.

“It did not rain in our area and the wheat crop is not expected to be good,” said Haji Mohammad Din, a farmer in the Darot Village who has cultivated wheat over 16 acres. He said he is worried about his crop as the area did not receive any rain.

“The government should focus on building small dams in our areas so that maximum land can be irrigated,” he said.

 

[ghazi52]

Strawberry cultivation from February

LAHORE: The agriculture experts on Wednesday advised farmers to start cultivation of strawberry from the advent of February and complete it by mid of March to get bumper yield. A spokesman of agriculture extension department told APP here that strawberry fruit is rich of various antioxidants, fiber and vitamin-C which improves immune system of the body. He said the farmers should cultivate it on maximum land as it would help to mitigate financial constraints.–APP

 

[ghazi52]

MULTAN:
The Punjab government has notified plans to expand the e-credit scheme in the better interest of growers.
According to the Agriculture Department spokesman, in the first phase of the scheme, interest-free loans have been disbursed to more than 300,000 growers.

Previously, he stated, Rs25,000 per acre was being offered to the farmers sowing crops in the Rabi season as interest-free agricultural loans. “Now, the provincial government has decided to revise the amount upwards to Rs30,000 per acre,” the spokesperson said. “Growers can avail of the loan from National Bank of Pakistan, Akhuwat (interest-free microfinance programme), National Rural Support Programme, etc.”

He emphasised that the programme had played an effective role in ensuring prosperity of the growers and loans were being provided in a transparent manner. He added that the growers could get registered free of cost at the tehsil land record centre along with the land record.

 

[ghazi52]

New sugarcane varieties introduced

Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) has introduced three new varieties of sugarcane which would give 40 percent more yield as compared to the existing varieties. This was stated by Director General AARI Dr Abid Mahmood while talking to APP here on Saturday. He said that Pakistan was the 5th largest sugarcane producing country of the world. However, the average yield of the country was far less than its potential due to various reasons. Moreover, water shortage and climatic changes were posing serious threat to the production of sugarcane, he said and added that in order to combat these challenges and enhancing the production of sugarcane, the scientists of Sugarcane Research Institute of AARI have evolved three new varieties of sugarcane including CPF-250, CPF-251 and CPF-253 which would give 40 percent more yield and require 30 percent less water to complete the growth cycle. Responding to a question, he told the area under the cultivation of sugarcane was reducing due to water shortage, marketing issues and encouragement of other cash crops by the government.

 

[Path-Finder]

I hope Solar Incubation is made available and people learn of this method. Future of farming in Pakistan is Solar.

 

[ghazi52]

Importance of agriculture discussed

The agriculture sector is the lifeline of Pakistan’s economy and it is adding around 25% to the economy, employing 42.3% of labour force and remains a major source of raw materials for several value-added sectors.

This was discussed in the speeches delivered by Chinese and Pakistani experts at CAC Pakistan Conference held in Lahore. The speakers added that joint ventures and transfer of latest technology is prerequisite to avail full benefits from the potential of Pakistani agriculture sector.

Topics that came under discussion included China agrochemical manufacturing capability, Pakistani crops and demand for agrochemicals and machineries and pesticides registration management updates in Pakistan.

 

[ghazi52]

Over 300 clubs set up under kitchen gardening initiative
January 28, 2019

Under the programme, nurseries of various seasonal, off-season and early sowing vegetables are grown.—

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (Parc) has set up more than 300 clubs in the twin cities under a kitchen and rooftop gardening programme introduced to promote organic agriculture.

Members of the clubs include college students, military officials and the public, for whom the programme has the potential to address food and health in urban and peri-urban areas.

Official sources said on Sunday that the government has taken steps to promote organic farming in the country, including the production of organic seasonal vegetables in the fields at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) to train stakeholders.

They said personnel from 600 NGOs have been facilitated to promote organic farming and kitchen gardening in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir.

Off-season squash has also been produced in the tunnels at NARC for demonstration and training purposes.

Sources said Parc has also established a cell on organic architecture and nominated a focal person in this regard.

When contacted, agriculture expert Dr Sher Baloch said organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than use of inputs with adverse affects.

Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.

In response to public demand, Parc has initiated a programme to help citizens of Rawalpindi and Islamabad grow fresh organic vegetables at home that are free of pesticides.

Citizens can grow vegetables in their front or backyards, on rooftops and in pots. Under the programme, nurseries of various seasonal, off-season and early sowing vegetables are grown at the NARC farm area for distribution to club members and other interested groups or individuals.

Vegetable plants and seedlings are provided to growers at nominal rates, and in the case of some vegetables one or two plants are sufficient to meet a household’s seasonal requirement.

Obvious advantages associated with household gardening include pesticide-free produce and availability at one’s doorstep, in additional the high nutritional value of herbs and vegetables.

Research officers and field staff are also available with the programme to train and provide services at households.

 

[AsifIjaz]

We need to short list less water demanding varieties of berries, foder bushes or alternate food source for humans / animals across the globe. It will kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
Most of the plants being cultivated are native and wud be gud in the lobger run but instead of eucalyptus we need to find alternatives as eucalyptus affects are very heavy or adverse on ground water levels.
We need less water demanding varieties especially for makran range, suleiman range, potohar range, some areas of hindu kush and diapersed areas of thar especially near nagarhar, mitthi etc.

 

[ghazi52]

France to enhance cooperation with Pakistan in agri sector.

FAISALABAD: The French government will enhance cooperation with Pakistan in agriculture sector for food processing and food security.

This was disclosed by Pierrick LE Jeune, Cooperation Attache, Cultural and Cooperation Department, Embassy of France, here on Tuesday.

He was addressing the inaugural session of 2-day International Conference on "Food Processing and Entrepreneurship - A way towards Economic Sustainability" organized by Faculty of Food, Nutrition and Home Sciences (FFNHS), University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF).

French Attache said that French universities were providing modern education to a large number of foreign students in various disciplines especially in engineering, social sciences and human sciences.

He said that French embassy in collaboration with Higher Education Commission (HEC) was sending 50 students from Pakistan for their doctorate study in France, whereas, about 700 students were completing their graduation from French universities per annum.

Similarly, there are 40-50 doctors in University of Agriculture Faisalabad who had completed their PhD education from French universities, he added.

The French Attache said that although France was cooperating in different sectors, yet its education sector was facing various problems including budget problem, therefore, French educational institutions had to increase registration fee.

However, "we are evolving a new policy to enhance cooperation with University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) in agriculture sector for food processing and food security, he added.

He also lauded the role of UAF and said that it was an influx school for food processing and food industry.

The youngsters should avail from its ideas and education at maximum extent to start their own business instead of running behind jobs, he added.

Vice Chancellor UAF Prof Dr Zafar Iqbal also addressed the function and said that food processing was not a new idea but it was century-old method under which the people used to preserve their foods.

However, the use of latest technology coupled with value addition has brought a revolution in food processing sector.

He said that poverty was horrific problem at the global level and Pakistan was also experiencing it because our young generation was running behind jobs.

The youths should adopt new technologies and start their own businesses, he said and added that in this connection, food processing sector had a huge potential to absorb a large number of unemployed youths.

 

[ghazi52]

17 new fruit varieties recommended for approval

Seventeen new indigenous varieties of date palm, desert apple (bair) and pomegranate, developed by a horticulture scientist of Bahawalpur, have been recommended by a high level expert sub-committee for final approval, to be granted by Punjab Seed Council (PSC).The varieties have been developed by an acclaimed horticulture scientist Muhammad Akhlaq from Horticulture Research Station (HRS), Bahawalpur. The recommended varieties include nine date palm varieties, two pomegranate varieties and six jujubes (Bair), the scientist told APP here Tuesday. The varieties have completed all the processes for final approval including their morphological description, spot examination, national varietal trials and were finally recommended for approval by the expert sub-committee that is chaired by DG Research Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) and experts and scientists from other research bodies including Punjab Seed Council (PSC), NIBGE, NARC and others as its members, Akhlaq said.

 

[ghazi52]

Plan to develop rose farms in Punjab

Punjab government is finalizing necessary arrangements to lunch a plan for the promotion and developing rose farms to produce quality roses across the province.

Punjab and other parts of the country naturally possesses a great potential for producing quality roses due to rich resource local soil provides ideal agronomic conditions for the production of flowers.

Official sources told APP here on Sunday that currently low quality roses were being cultivated and sold in domestic market as well as exported to Middle East countries.

The concept of this proposed plan was to promote floriculture and to produce high quality grafted roses for enhancing the radius of export to European countries.