‘Agriculture sector must adopt modern technology’

AARI DG says water shortage and lack of resources and credit create problems.

FAISALABAD: Farmers can get more than double-digit yield and profits by using modern techniques, machinery and certified seeds while cotton growers, in particular, can achieve productivity of 70-80 maunds (40kg) per acre with the help new hybrid seed varieties and latest farm practices.

Ayub Agriculture Research Institute (AARI) recently introduced a new variety of BT cotton, MH-486, to achieve maximum yield.

“Use of latest technology can increase production and farmers can earn handsome profits,” said AARI Director General Dr Abid Mahmood in an interview to The Express Tribune.

By applying modern techniques, China is getting 39 maunds of wheat per acre, which is the highest average production in the world, while Pakistan’s average per acre yield is 26 maunds.

“There are few farmers in Pakistan who are using modern techniques, right from pesticides to fertilisers and are getting 70 maunds per acre,” Mahmood said. “Pakistan has good agricultural land but farmers lack the resources needed to switch to modern technology,” he said, adding with government support they could, however, achieve higher yields than developed countries.

Mahmood said the AARI was introducing the new variety of seeds to enhance productivity. The institute has been working to produce hybrid seeds to increase average crop yield.

“In order to develop the agriculture sector we introduced 444 seeds of different crops, meeting the needs of farmers and, subsequently, helping improve their lifestyle,” Mahmood said.

The institute was working on introducing olive production and planted 20,000 to 30,000 plants in Chakwal district.

He was of the view that water shortages, high prices of pesticides and fertilisers and lack of credit for small farmers were hurting the sector the most.

“If farmers move from traditional farming to modern farming, the sector will become profitable,” he suggested.

Mahmood said the AARI had played a significant role in the field of agriculture and the government should support the farmers by giving lucrative incentives as well as increasing the subsidy.

The operational budget of AARI is currently Rs200 million, which, Mahmmod said, should be increased to develop the agriculture sector. Income from AARI’s agriculture farms was good, giving about Rs150 million per annum, he added.

“We have sent recommendations to the government, asking it to increase the AARI budget for research and development but it is not willing to increase,” he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2014.

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