Local per acre citrus yield half of India’s output

Two incurable diseases plague, threaten local industry: study.

FAISALABAD:

The country’s citrus production per acre stands at approximately 4.6 tons, almost half of India’s 9 tons per acre, according to the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF).

Disease, malpractice, mismanagement along with fake chemical fertilisers and pesticides are pushing production levels down, UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan told The Express Tribune. Developed and emerging economies like US, Spain and Brazil produce 12 to 15 tons per acre, triple Pakistan’s per acre production.

Pakistan, 13th largest grower of the fruit in the world, produces 2.36 million tons annually which is grown over 199,000 hectares.

In the report titled “A century old citrus disease, the reality and misconception” author UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan and associate Muhammad Fakharuddin Razi highlighted that the government should take appropriate measures to save the citrus industry which is facing severe threats due to greening and Huang Long Bing (HLB) diseases.

The study claimed that no cure has been found so far to control Huang Long Bing (HLB) or citrus greening disease.

“In areas where the disease is endemic, citrus trees may collapse in five to eight years and never produce eatable fruit. Once infected, it is forever infected.” Dr Khan added.

The research work conducted by the author was an attempt to speculate on the the disease in citrus growing areas of Punjab.

Around 43% of plant samples from 43 orchards of 11 tehsils in Punjab turned out to be infected with HLB in a test carried out by University of California, Riverside (UCR).

“Such a high level of inoculums in the field and continuous production of infected nursery plants portrays a horrible future for citrus manufacturers,” Dr Iqrar Khan said. Presence of both diseases may affect Pakistani citrus export much earlier than expected, Khan added.

Internationally, the disease and its vector are being treated as a biological weapon.

VC pointed out that this doctoral research proving HLB presence in the country was funded by the Higher Education Commission, under the 5,000 Indigenous PhD scholarships programme. Major part of the molecular studies was conducted in UCR and NCGRCD-USDA Riverside, CA, US. Apart from this study, a three years Pak-US research project worth $159,000 is ongoing with an aim to identify tolerance against HLB in different citrus types.

“This is the sole effort to handle the issue in Pakistan,” he said adding that a lab has been exclusively set up for HLB diagnosis in California with an annual budget of $35 million besides the fact that California is HLB free.

“The only serious contribution in Pakistan has been from University of Agriculture Faisalabad, where disease diagnostic and citrus virology lab along with nursery sanitation blocks have started operation.”

“In the current scenario, as there is no natural thermotherapy, the multi-dimensional efforts can only lead to disease control and eradication, which won’t be possible without the highest level of professional approach, solid commitment and sufficient funding,” Khan added.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2011.