Punjab agronomists rethink land cultivability

After much endeavors, Pakistan has conducted a new experiment towards successful cultivation of orchards on saline lands. Under the experiment, a 16 acre orchard has been planted in the suburbs of Shahkot area of Punjab, with the help of a technique called the Organic Liquid Formula.

According to a survey, the area affected by salinity in Pakistan is about 2.5 million acres.

Some of this area has been brought under cultivation while most of the land still remains deserted and vacant.

However, various modern cultivation techniques grouped under term saline agriculture, have significantly improved the country’s cultivatable land area in recent years. While new, more cost effective solutions are constantly being experimented on, to make better use of the millions of acres of Pakistan’s saline land.

The Organic Liquid Formula, a new effort towards the same cause, is believed to have the potential to improve the Punjab province’s crop output, by successfully turning non-cultivatable land into cultivatable orchards, to be sold at economical prices.

Explaining the process, agronomist Syed Ali Bukhari, who is at the helm of the experiment, shared that the new Organic Liquid Formula (OLF), relies on marine herbs and grasses.

A concoction of which is used to irrigate the previously saline land. This process produces earthworms, which then feed on the soil’s salinity, while also producing fecal waste full of nutrients, which further helps increase the soil’s fertility.

Speaking in the regard, Punjab Agriculture Department (Extension) Director General Dr Anjum Ali, said that where earthworms are quite effective in cutting down soil salinity, the insects are not suited for the Pakistani weather. “Due to the extreme heat of the summer, earthworms cannot thrive in our climate. They either die or do not reproduce, which has so far kept this method from being a success,” she critiqued.

As per Bukhari however, he had earlier cultivated guava, lemon and orange in the semi-arid regions of Kasur and Joharabad. “Now, a guava orchard has been planted in a region of Shah Kot, which had remained barren for the last century. The apricot trees planted a month ago, using the same formula also appear to be thriving,” he told. “Experts from Faisalabad Agricultural University are due to visit the area to analyse the soil in the coming months. Once successful, this project will not only increase employment opportunities for people but also turn several acres of barren land into fruit producing gardens,” he added.

In addition to that, cultivating saline land, although not impossible, can take several years using traditional methods. The old techniques require the land to be planted with grass first and then doused in gypsum and various other fertilisers. However, according to Bukhari, OLF does not require any extra fertilisers or chemicals, making it a more cost-effective method. “The land required for the experiment has been acquired at the cost of Rs1.2 to 1.3 million per acre, which will sell for at least rupees two to three million, once it is planted on,” the agronomist projected.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2020.