Farming: Feed the hungry world

Trade between Pakistan and India should be promoted by protecting the rights of stakeholders particularly the growers. It was recommended by the roundtable conference titled "improving economic governance in agricultural sector through trade liberalisation between Pakistan and India" arranged at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad.
The recommendation was made by the UAF Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan while Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Pro Chancellor Syed Babar Ali, MNA and Parliamentary Secretary Rana Afzal, Farmers Association Pakistan President Tariq Bucha and other progressive farmers were present on the occasion. While informing the audience about recommendations, the Vice Chancellor suggested the identification of the seasonal window for the commodities.
He quoted the examples of potato which has peak season in August and September in India and in Pakistan it has the peak season in October and November. The conference also recommended that trust deficit between the two countries needs to be bridged through dialogue. The strengthening of the domestic production market is also essential to tap the potential of the sector.
The Vice Chancellor said India is the big market of around one billion of the people. He said the trade with the seasonal window would open up new chapter of progress. He also sought the policy interventions in this regard to flourish the sector in Pakistan. He said India is providing the highest subsidy on the electricity. Even in the Indian Punjab, the subsidy on tube wells is amounting to Rs 1trillion. Syed Babar Ali said we need to tap the potential in flourishing the agricultural sector by promoting the state-of-the-art technologies in the country.
He said China has made tremendous work in the garlic. Our country can do the same. We have to get the benefit from others experience. He said 70 percent of the population is directly or indirectly linked to the agricultural sector that must be strengthened. He also suggested setting up entrepreneurship cell at the UAF in order to equip the youth with the skill and to transform the knowledge into goods and services.
MNA Rana Afzal said the Government is making all-out efforts to strengthen the agricultural sector in the country. He said the recommendations to be made before the government. He said agriculture is the backbone of our economy, contributing 21 percent in the Gross Domestic Product. Tariq Bucha urged the government to take the tangible steps to address the issues of the farming community. He said at least ten percent of the budget must be allocated for the agricultural sector. He said in the process of trade policy formulation, the farmers must be taken on board. ORIC Director Professor Dr Asif Ali, Dr Abdul Ghafoor, Dr Waseem Ahmad, Dr Mubashair Mehdi, Director Ayub Agriculture Research Institute Dr Abid Mehmood, Aiwan-e-Zarat President Dr Sadique Naseem and others also attended the meeting.

Source: Business Recorder

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Saccharum officinarum

INTROUDCITON:

Sugar cane is C₄ plant it is a parineal crop. The plant takes 10 to 12 month under Pakistani condition. 18 month under Australian condition and 24 month in Cuba and Brazil condition to complete its life cycle. The plant grows from seed set called as plant crop. It is vegetative plant. Rising of succeeding crop after harvesting first year crop is known as ratoon crop. Sugar cane is very sensitive to cold injury. During frost conversion of sucrose to glucose takes place. The sugar mill are interested in sucrose while the farmer are interested in sugar cane weight. Therefore we need high sugar and high weight variety. It is a true seeded plant. They have five sub species

· Saccharum spontanium

· Saccharum sinensis

· Saccharum Bari beri

· Saccharum robustum

· Saccharum officinarum

SOIL REQUIREMENT:

Sugar cane can be grown in low fertile, medium fertile and high fertile soil. It is very essential the sugar cane should be grown in high fertile soil because of parineal crop and produce high biomass.

CLIMATE:

The sugar cane is tropical crop it can tolerate high temperature but the optimum temperature at the time of sowing should not be less than 12 ºC to 18 ºC. The optimum temperature for growth is 30 ºC.

PLANTING SEASON:

There are two seasons:

· Winter season (September sowing)

· Spring season (February to March sowing)

In winter season intercropping takes place for example onion in Sindh and wheat, mustard in Punjab. In February to March only onion can be sown.

LAND PREPARATION:

Sugar cane requires deep tillage. Deep tillage includes Mould board plough and those farmers who do not have tractor they use Sarkar plough made up of wood. There are two types of sowing in sugar cane. Sugar cane is sow in furrow area as it is water-loving plant. Row to row distance is 3-5 ft.

CONTENTS:

Thin variety seed is sown for 60-70 munds per acre. It contains 13-14% fiber & 70% water, 10-11% sugar and 2-3% impurities, 1-2% glucose. We have to evaporate the water than we will get the sugar. Plant to plant distance is 9-12 inches over lapping of sets take place. Buds and leaf grown alternately. Leaf covers the bud to protect it in order to safe the bud from the outer environments. If the bud damages than the growth does not occurs/ takes place.

SEED SELECTION:

Ratoon type crop are not selected. It is better to cut the top portion of crop as top portion contain good amount of glucose and lower portion contain sucrose. Immature seed is better than mature plant seeds. 40,000 to 60,000 sets are grown in 1 acre.

VARIETIES:

· BL-4 Barbados + Lyallpur

· POJ Java variety in Indonesia

· COL In India 113-116 Comibitor + Lyallpur

· BF Barbados + Faisalabad 129

· BF-162

· Thatta-10

· SPSG-26

· CP Canal point

GERMINATION RATE:

· Top portion of sugar cane give 70% germination

· Middle portion of sugar cane give 40% germination

· Basal portion contain more salts therefore its germination is 30%

· Covering of sugar cane is called “rind” which contain parenchyma cells it contain sugar content.

· Roots are known as fibrous roots.

· When the stem bends and than the root which arises are known as butterious roots.

· Basal root contain glucose only which help in growth.

· Earthing up (prevents from water logging) should be done in the month of June.

· One bud can arises 40 to 50 sugar cane.

SEED TREATEMENT:

Sugar cane seed in the form of sets can be treated with fungicides or in hot water.

SOIL FERTILITY:

Before land preparation we need good manuring crop. Before seeding or flowering we have to plough the green manuring. After this we have to irrigate the land in order to decompose the green manuring. Before sowing the crop a month ago we have to do manuring 10 to 15 tones per acre should be use a month ago before sowing the crop. Farmyard manuring should be decomposing properly.

FERTILIZER REQUIREMENT:

First we have to satisfy the phosphorous requirement.

· At sowing:

2 bags of DAP or 2 bags of TSP or 5 bags of SSP and 1 bag of SOP or MOP.

· Seedling stage:

It comes after 1 month of sowing. 1 bag of urea when the temperature is high above 20 ºC than 2 bag of A.N is used.

· Tillering stage:

This stage comes after 2 month of sowing 1 bag of urea. After 3 months of tillering 1 bag of urea is used.

IRRIGATION:

In September sowing (autumn) we need 40% to 45% time of irrigation of crops. For February to March sowing we need 30% to 34% times irrigation of crop (spring season). For September irrigation we need 4.5-acre foot water. For February to March irrigation we need 3-acre foot of water.

DISEASES:

· Red rot

· Whips smut

· Mossaic virus

· Ratoon stunting disease (RSD)

CONTROL:

· Healthy seed

· Resistance variety

· Crop rotation

INSECT PEST:

· Termite

· Pyrilla

· Milli bug

· Red mites

BORERS OF SUGAR CANE:

· Stem borer

· Top borer

· Pink borer

· Gurdas pur

Pakistan's wheat production is anticipated to stay regarding twenty four.5 to twenty five million tons this year, which is 0.25-0.75 million tons wanting the projected target of twenty five.25 million tons, Ministry of National Food Security and analysis officers aforementioned.

A senior official of the Ministry of National Food Security and analysis told Business Recorder, here on Wed that Asian nation is in an exceedingly position to supply bumper wheat crop this year however it depends on atmospheric condition in March: if the temperature remains average the country's wheat output is anticipated to cross twenty five million tons, however if temperature is on top of the common for the year wheat output is probably going to stay twenty four.5 million tons.

"This year wheat growers have brought nearly twenty one million acres underneath wheat cultivation, that is sort of one thousand thousand acres but the past year. In arid areas, a decline within the space underneath wheat cultivation, low tide provides and fertiliser shortages square measure probably to cut back the wheat production, however on national level we tend to predict a healthy wheat crop", the officers aforementioned.

"In Rabi season we've got 2 major crops wheat and gram, wheat production is probably going to cross twenty five million tons if atmospheric condition stay favourable, whereas gram production is anticipated to be 550,000 tons this year against set target of 600,000 tons" he added . Gram is especially cultivated in Bhakkar, Layyah, Khushab and Mianwali districts, whereas wheat is being cultivated across the country tho' geographical region is that the major wheat manufacturing province, followed by Sind and KPK.

"Pakistan wants around 900,000 loads of gram to feed its population on low-cost macromolecule, however the country is at the present manufacturing solely 550,000 loads of gram. within the past, Asian nation was manufacturing nearly 800,000 loads of gram pulse. Even in worst-weather years, the gram production was ne'er less than 5 maunds per acre. sadly throughout the past few years it absolutely was solely two.5 maunds per acre. however and why did the yield call in over seventy % at intervals a matter of few years nobody knows", Abraham Mughal Chairman Agri-Forum Asian nation aforementioned.

Mughal aforementioned the case could improve slightly if water and fertiliser handiness improves adding that at the present a bag of carbamide is obtainable at Rs one,900 to Rs two,000, that 3 years back was obtainable at Rs 800 per bag. the assembly value of various crops has increased  manifold throughout past few years and farmers square measure unable to buy necessary inputs to extend yield. Farmers have planted wheat over a locality of very little over eight.5 million hectares this year, down from nine.13 million hectares last year once the country created a bumper crop of regarding twenty three.8 million loads of wheat, Mughal aforementioned.

Source: Business Recorder 

Have any plan of what percentage chemicals are introduced into our environments since WWII? A half-decade agone, the count* was over eighty,000. Some square measure used for large atomic number 47, some square measure in medicines and processed foods, toys and home items, and a few of them square measure within the air and water.

Industrial chemicals, most of that square measure barely tested by the those that build them, square measure omnipresent. Most toxicities square measure typically not complete till huge adverse health reports square measure created. we are the guinea pigs, the canaries within the mine for the chemical firms that lie all the thanks to the bank.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), what is left of it, is short-handed and engulfed by the constant barrage of freshly factory-made chemicals. they don't seem to be nonetheless held with the older chemicals that are in industrial use for many years. The higher management positions at the Food and Drug Administration, executive department and Environmental Protection Agency square measure corrupted by business lobbyists and former business insiders WHO make the most of the revolving door system that promotes favoritism at the upper levels of business and government.

Here's a "legal" trick that chemical firms use to cover their products' toxicity. restrictive agencies solely look into the active ingredients of pesticides and herbicides. however there square measure different chemicals in a very product that square measure meant to spice up the active ingredient. the precise formulas square measure withheld as proprietary trade secrets. The Uniform Trade Secrets Act supports this secrecy while not reference to health or ecological implications. company profits trump public welfare de jure.

For example, Monsanto's Roundup contains glyphosate as its active ingredient, thus that is all that gets tested. Since it's in many herbicides already, Roundup gets rubber-stamp approval while not reference to the key "inert" merchandise that are literally adjuvants.

However, there has been another polemic study by the parents that brought US those rats with gross tumors when their long-run exposure to GMO corn and Roundup.

Seralini and also the boys within the research lab analyzed all the inert ingredients of 9 major chemicals and discovered that each one however one pesticide contained inert ingredients additional harmful than their active ingredients. Roundup was the worst.

Sometimes it is the natural action of these ingredients combined, and generally it's one or 2 alone which will be worse than the active ingredients. (GM Watch, supply below)

Canadian activists push for investigation of pesticides and herbicides employed in Canada
In August of 2013, Ecojustice filed four lawsuits strict that Health Canada examine twenty nine pesticides illegal in Europe. Canadian federal law mandates that any pesticides or herbicides illegal by even one nation of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development should be evaluated for safety in Canada.

At first, the tormenter Management administrative unit (PMRA) of Canada refused. then again attorneys for Ecojustice started taking part in hardball with lawsuits strict the administrative unit to fits federal law. therefore the agency united to review twenty three of the twenty nine chemicals, one amongst that could be a common weed killer anonymous  within the supply article, in all probability Roundup.

Four of the remaining six chemicals still have restricted use in Europe, and 2 don't seem to be employed in Canada. therefore the six chosen to not be reviewed stands with each side in agreement. Consequently, the PMRA requested that Ecojustice drop its proceedings, considering it superfluous and unwarranted in light-weight of their plans to review those twenty three chemicals.

Source: Natural News

Under the directives of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, provincial Agriculture department has finalised necessary arrangements for holding "Wheat Yield Competition" across the Punjab. Official sources told Business Recorder on Monday that prizes worth to Rs 125.775 million would be given to the winners of the competition of provincial, divisional and tehsils levels in the Punjab. Wheat Yield Competition would be held among the wheat growers across the Punjab and Agriculture department has already finalise the criteria, procedure, constitutions of Markaz, tehsil, district, divisional and provincial levels committees for the competition. At provincial level, first prize 85 HP tractor, second and third prizes 75 Hp tractors, at divisional level, first prize 75 HP tractor, second prize 65 HP and third prize 55 HP tractors will be given to the winners of the competition.

^{Source: Business Recorder}

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan enrolled 19 companies in corporate agricultural farming last month. Most of them are in seed, poultry and feed businesses. It is, however, not immediately clear if any of these plan to invest in the vegetable and crop sector.

Nevertheless, a growing number of companies are enrolling in corporate farming, which has revived hopes of fresh investment in different areas of agriculture in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Major business groups are investing in corporate farming,” says Afaq Tiwana, one of the key architects of the policy framed in the early 2000s to attract foreign and domestic corporate agriculture farming.

“Numerous corporations have invested in dairy farming and halal meat since the adoption of the policy, and I expect many to invest in vegetables soon. I also know that several major textile companies are considering joint investment in cotton crop to grow quality fibre [to meet the requirements of foreign customers].”

The corporate agricultural farming ordinance was drawn to offer wide-ranging incentives to corporations to attract foreign and domestic capital in large-scale agricultural production.

It was hoped at that time that investors from Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE will lease or buy large tracts of barren and uncultivated state and private land, and invest their capital to grow food crops to be exported back home. But the plan didn’t work out according to the script.

“Initially, some Gulf investors showed their desire to lease and buy land for corporate farming. Most were interested in productive, fertile land. But the plan could not pick momentum due to deteriorating security conditions in the country,” says Midrar ul Haq, a Peshawar-based agriculture and environment consultant.

Corporate agricultural farming is believed to have tremendous promise for attracting foreign investment, as many countries try to achieve food security. The South Koreans, Chinese, Saudis, Japanese and others have acquired farmlands in Laos, Cambodia, Madagascar, Burma, Uganda, Ethiopia, Brazil and other Central Asian countries in recent years. Large Indian companies like Tata and Reliance are also said to have invested heavily in this area.

The law adopted by Pakistan offers numerous attractive incentives to potential investors. It declared corporate agricultural farming as an industry, made sufficient bank credit available for corporate entities, gave several fiscal and tax concessions like zero-rating imports of machinery (not manufactured locally), did away with the upper ceiling on landholding for registered agricultural companies, allowed 100pc foreign ownership with checks on repatriation of investment and profits, and exempted transfer of land from taxes.

“It is one of the most attractive and liberal packages offered anywhere in the world to corporations and investors,” a Punjab agriculture department official argues. “If no foreign investor has come, it is not because of any flaw in the incentive package, but because of insecurity and political instability gripping the country for last 7-8 years.”

Meanwhile, Afaq Tiwana clarifies that the incentives were not necessarily meant for foreign investors.

“The law was enacted to comfort investors that the legal cover is there, so they can come and invest in this sector. It was essentially meant to allow corporations to own and lease land for agricultural farming. Many major local investors like Mian Mohammad Mansha and Jehangir Khan Tareen have put money in it.

“Foreign investors demand very large tracts of land, which are difficult to acquire from private landowners. Only the state can provide such large tracts, which the government is not prepared to give,” he says.

Corporate agricultural farming has many advantages. It helps transfer modern technology, raises output, cuts input costs, improves food security, prevents fragmentation of cultivable land, creates much-needed — backward and forward — linkages between agriculture production, processing and marketing, and pushes industrial growth.

Nevertheless, the promulgation of the ordinance triggered a debate against the government’s decision to encourage corporate farming. Many said it would displace small landholders, create massive unemployment and increase poverty. Afaq dismisses these apprehensions.

“Those who invested in corporate dairy farming imported technology, management and animals. This is the route that other sectors of the economy also need to take to progress,” he argues. “I don’t agree with people who say that development of corporate farming will create unemployment or make people landless,” he says.

“Corporate farming speeds up the development of the services sector, which will create thousands of better paying jobs and urbanise our rural population. In America, for example, only 2pc of the population is actively involved in the fields. But a far bigger number of people are earning their livelihood in the services and industrial sectors, which are connected with and dependent on agriculture through backward and forward linkages.

“We have to decide if we want to keep our [rural] people the way are, or improve their living conditions and give them better jobs and increase their access to urban facilities. This will happen when only a fraction of them are producing food and other crops and the rest of them will be working in the services and industrial sectors,” he says.

Writer Nasir Jamal

Source: Dawn

As many as 13 Pakistani companies participated in the world's leading international fresh produce trade fair, Fruit Logistica-2014, this year in Berlin that ended on Saturday. Pakistani exhibitors were optimistic of substantial increase in export of fresh produce from Pakistan as they made good contacts with the international buyers of fruit and vegetable products.
Buyers from Russia showed keen interest in Pakistani potatoes whereas Pakistani mangoes have also made inroads into EU market with increase in shelf life through better processing technology and other corrective measures. Earlier, Pakistan Ambassador to Germany Abdul Basit visited Pakistan Pavilion along with Commercial Counsellor, Dr Erfa Iqbal and met with Pakistani exhibitors.
He also held a meeting with the delegation of mango growers and exporters of Pakistan, who put up their stalls under the umbrella of UNIDO and the USAID. Both the organisations are running projects of increasing income through improvement of quality and better yield and generating additional employment's in the major mango-growing areas of South Punjab and Northern Sind.
The Ambassador said the world's leading trade fair provides great opportunity for promotion, development and marketing of fresh fruit and vegetable products. He emphasised the need of intensive interaction between farmers and exporters to up-grade the quality and increase yield of fresh products. He said there is a growing market for Pakistani fruits, especially mangoes and Kinnow/mandarin. Pakistani exporters should give due importance to fruit processing and packaging for longer preservation of these perishable products, he added.
He urged the traders to spend sufficient amount of their income on research and development, which is essential to keep pace with the ever changing market trends. The exhibitors expressed their satisfaction over the arrangements made by the Commercial Section of the Pakistan Embassy and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. About 2,566 including 2,311 foreign exhibitors from 84 countries presented a comprehensive overview of all levels of fruit and vegetable production and marketing and more than 58,000 trade visitors from 130 countries visited the exhibition and made business contacts besides a large number of general public/end consumers.

Source: Business Recorder

Pakistan has become the third largest country in the world that is exporting dates to the rest of the world and with proper attention and appropriate interventions this sector can flourish manifold. The date sector offers substantial opportunities for export, income and employment generation in addition to economic growth of the country, said an official of Ministry of Commerce and Textile while talking to APP here on Friday.
The annual production of dates in Pakistan is estimated at around 535,000 tonnes of which only 86,000 tonnes are exported and the rest are either consumed locally or perish, he informed.

Chief Executive Officer Harvest Trading Ahmad Jawad told media that Pakistani dates exports could be raised to $200 million from the current $28 million with proper processing and packaging. Since 1999, per acre yield of dates in Pakistan did not increase much, whereas world-wide production increased by 166 percent, he added.
Highlighting the problems, the CEO said the country lacked storage facilities and so exported some quantity of dates while the rest perish. Thus due to these problems the country had to import dates during the month of Ramzan. “Importers of dates such as Germany, Denmark, India, Nepal, USA, UK, Afghanistan and Canada are re-exporting Pakistani dates after quality enhancement and preparation of by-products, at a price that is four to six times higher than their import price,” said Jawad.
“Of the 300 varieties of dates produced in Pakistan, Begam Jangi of Balochistan, Aseel of Sindh and Dhakki of Dera Ismail Khan are the varieties which are sought after the world over due to their exotic taste,” said Jawad. He further said that dates could fetch many more millions of dollars if focus was given to value addition such as the use of dates in preparing date sweets, jams, chocolates and other products.
Even the damaged crop is used for medical purposes and date oil is fit for use in cosmetics. He maintained that the usage of dates increases during the winter season thus its price and demand surge. Another report by the USAID revealed that lack of awareness about the best farming practices, improper fruit handling techniques, and an absence of developed processing facilities are major constraints inhibiting profitable date production in Pakistan. Ghulam Farid, a date farm owner stated that usually the harvest season of dates starts in July in upper Sindh during the monsoon season; they remain safe due to lack of rain in these areas during harvesting.

^{Source: Business Recorder}

Pakistan's agriculture seed market is worth almost $ 1500 million and it has huge potential and opportunities for investors. DG Federal Seed Certification & Registration, Syed Muhammad Nasir Ali expressed these views while talking to APP here on Sunday. He said that investment in agriculture seed and supply of certified seed was important not only to boost agriculture sector but also overall economy of the country.
He said the value of seed produced in Pakistan was $ 500 million while the value of imported seed was $ 300 million which showed a market gap for investment of $ 700 million. He said certified seed availability of major crops in Pakistan was just 20 per cent while authorities had set a target for certified seed availability of 30 percent for the next year.
He said the share of the public sector in seed availability was 22 per cent while private sector's share was 78 per cent.
He said that there were four public sector seed organisations while five multinational seed companies and 789 national seed companies were operating in the private sector.

Source: Business recorder