Agronomists to expand use of organic liquid

Pakistani agronomists, after successful experiments with an organic liquid formula in growing wheat and rice, have decided to use the fluid prepared from marine and terrestrial herbs and leaves of various trees to achieve better and higher yields from other crops on a large scale.

Syed Babar Bukhari, an agricultural expert, told The Express Tribune that he has been using the formula for several years in orchards and nurseries besides rice and wheat crops. This year too, the organic liquid formula was used during rice cultivation on hundreds of acres in different districts, including Gujranwala, Lahore, Narowal, Nankana Sahib and Sheikhupura. This will result in 35 to 40 per cent higher yield of rice than the normal crop.

He added that the farmers should reduce the trend of using chemical fertilisers and pesticides and return to organic methods. “We have to get more production from less area and at the same time, saving water is essential.” He said that the crops produced with the formula have been analysed by renowned laboratories of the country and many researchers in the field of agriculture, including experts from the Faisalabad Agriculture University, have inspected their produce and certified them.

The amount of gluten in wheat produced through the formula is zero, which is very useful for people allergic to it. “From this wheat we are now making various bakery products, including gluten-free biscuits, cakes, bread and other products that are being produced in Pakistan for the first time.”

Bukhari said he had worked with agricultural research institutes in the United States for 15 years, after which he had worked hard to develop the organic liquid formula. Various marine and common herbs and the leaves of various trees, especially neem, are used in the liquid.

The liquid is used on the land once before sowing the crop and once afterwards. One acre of land requires two litres of the organic liquid mixed with water. Due to the formula, earthworms begin to grow in the soil. They eat the soil that exists in the fields and then produce the most fertile waste which multiplies the fertility of the land.

The expert said that usually the upper five to six inches of the soil are used in agriculture repeatedly, that reduces its fertility. But when earthworms grow, they soften the surface to a greater depth due to which the fertile soil from below comes up. He said the liquid also contains ingredients which act as fertiliser and pesticide. Therefore, the crop is protected from diseases and pests, and is healthier.

Rana Mubashir, a farmer in Lahore, confirmed that he used the formula in a 10-acre rice crop alongside three acres cultivated in the usual way. The crop in which the organic liquid formula was used is taller, stronger and denser, while the grains are also healthier.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2020.