Communications gap, old farming methods hurt crops

30% crops are wasted due to obsolete production techniques.

FAISALABAD:

In the face of growing population and persistent price increases, food security has become all the more important for the country but obsolete irrigation system and cultivation practices, declining soil fertility and lack of farmer guidance and communications are pulling back crop productivity.

High costs of inputs like seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, forcing farmers to curtail the consumption, have also played their part in the lower per acre yield of crops.

In developed countries, per acre production is 25 per cent higher, with support from modern farming techniques, state-of-the-art machinery and government incentives, said agricultural experts, farmers and professors while talking to The Express Tribune.

They say high prices and rental charges for tractors, cultivators and harvesters are a source of discouragement for small and medium scale farmers, who cannot afford the latest machinery. As a result, 30 per cent of the production is wasted because of application of old and obsolete farming techniques.

Other hurdles include falling soil fertility and water wastage in the canal system. “Old irrigation methods lead to wastage of around 40 per cent of water and reduce crop production,” said an officer in the Water Management Department.

“Farmers should be communicated new farming techniques through prevalent modes of communications in rural areas which include mobile phones, radio and television,” said Professor Ali Raza who educates farmers about modern agricultural practices.

He pointed out that lack of awareness and guidance hindered improvement in crop production and called for ending the communications gap between skilled experts and naive farmers. Small farmers, who have two to four acres of land, also do not get credit facilities to purchase seeds, pesticides and fertilisers. “The government should support these farmers, but there is no scheme or funds for them,” said Tahir Mahmood, a small farmer.

Usman Javed, an agricultural expert, stressed that the two major sectors – agriculture and industry – were interconnected and the progress of one supported the other. However, both the sectors were facing a hard time – one due to energy crisis and the other due to urea shortage and rising input costs. “The government should take effective measures to ensure food security in the country,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2012.