Balochistan pushes low water consuming crops

QUETTA:

The Balochistan government has initiated multiple measures to promote less water-intensive species like olives, pine nuts and pistachio due to the prevailing climate change situation in the area.

Pistachio being a climate-resilient and low-water-consuming crop could be grown in the cold areas of Balochistan without a conventional irrigation system.

The environment of cold regions of Balochistan including Quetta, Zhob, Killa Saifullah, Pishin, Mastung, Khuzdar and Kalat districts is the best for pistachio cultivation and its higher production.

Balochistan agriculture minister Asadullah Baloch said the department is encouraging farmers to cultivate pistachio, olive, saffron and other low water consuming trees in the colder areas of the province, especially Quetta division, to yield its optimum production.

The objective of the initiative was to divert local farmers’ attention from growing traditional wheat crops and focus on cultivating high-value crops, he said while talking to APP on Wednesday.

It was a pilot project of the agriculture department and the farming was being carried out at designated sites.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2023.