Agriculture needs investment in new seeds, technology

Expert says better seed quality can increase output by 35%.

FAISALABAD:

In an effort to increase crop yield for achieving food security, massive investment is needed in introducing new varieties of seeds and improving farm technologies, suggest agricultural experts and farmers.

Seepage from watercourses, canals, distributaries, uneven fields and poor drainage have also made life difficult for farmers, underscoring the need for immediate rehabilitation, they say.

“Productivity remains low, causing a decline in exports and incomes of farmers,” said Mahmood Ahmad, an agricultural expert while talking to The Express Tribune. “If seed quality improves, crop yield can increase by 35%.”

“Imported seeds have better yield. Seeds being imported from Canada and Europe give a good output,” said Bilal Saeed, who deals in imported seeds. However, he pointed out that imported seeds were expensive compared to local seeds, forcing farmers to buy cheaper ones.

The farmers claimed that the country has not been able to produce required quantity of hybrid seeds. Though the farmers may not be able to bear the cost of such seeds, the government should provide subsidy on these, they suggested.

Water shortage is also a problem that has plagued farmers. Water shortage has destroyed crops, causing heavy losses to farmers, particularly when expensive imported seeds had been used, they said.

“Farmers are also handicapped by electricity outages for several hours in a day as they cannot run tube wells to make up for reduced water releases from rivers,” said farmer Junaid Ali.

At the same time, he cautioned that more than 50% of water pumped out through tube wells was saline or brackish, affecting the yield of crops. To address this issue, he called for applying water preservation technology.

“Major factors in productivity loss are poor soil fertility and less use of mineral fertilisers,” said Jamaal Ahmad, a farming expert.

He said urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) were two major fertilisers used to fulfill requirements of land for getting a good yield, but their shortage was increasing due to high demand.

“Soaring prices of fertilisers have forced the farmers to opt for alternatives like bio-fertiliser,” he added.

Besides all these, the experts say, application of old techniques and technology at the time of handling the harvest damages the produce and reduces the income of farmers. Post-harvest losses are estimated to be in millions of rupees, they say.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2012.