By Arooj Zulfiqar

ISLAMABAD, July 04: (INP-WealthPK): Crop losses is one of the most serious challenges facing the farmers in Pakistan where agriculture contributes 22 percent to the GDP and employs around 37.4 percent of the workforce. Agronomic practices hold the key to the farming community's economic prosperity by reducing the crop losses, reports WealthPK.

Agronomic practices help the farmers to improve soil quality, use water more efficiently, manage crops and improve the environment. In order to improve the agricultural practices, agronomic methods put a special emphasis on better fertilizer management.

Talking to WealthPK, Dr Muhammad Hanif, senior scientific officer at the National Agricultural Research Council (NARC), said Pakistan should adopt agronomic practices to reduce crop losses and to enhance yield, as it is an agrarian country and most of the people living in rural areas depend on agriculture for their livelihood.

“The farmers will always face risks in both production and the market that are largely out of their control. However, the farmers that produce crops in the most appropriate manner can reduce the impact of these risks. Good economic practices maximize yields while minimizing production cost,” Dr Hanif said.

He said Pakistan is an agro-based country where agriculture contributes 22.7 percent to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and employs around 37.4 percent of the workforce. It is also an important source of foreign exchange earnings and stimulates growth in other sectors, he added 

Dr Hanif further said, “The primary source of crop losses for farmers is the use of subpar inputs. The overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has had a severe impact on the quality of the land, the water, the air, the food supply, and public safety. Due to their high manufacturing costs, low average yields, and subpar food, imported commodities are overtaking our local marketplaces. In addition to harming local customers, these issues make Pakistan less competitive internationally,” he added.

“Since there is no way to preserve plants once they have been planted, the farmers should use high-quality virus-free seeds to overcome these obstacles. If we use quality seeds, our production will be robust, enabling Pakistan to compete in the global market,” he said.

Dr Hanif said there should be less use of inorganic fertilizers, inorganic insecticides and pesticides. Use of appropriate fertilizers at the optimum moments during a crop cycle will help us get good production, he added.

"Pakistan faces a severe shortage of water, which is one of the most important inputs for the agriculture sector. The water use efficiency in crop production is extremely low, which is severely affecting our agriculture sector. There should be a proper mechanism to use water; the government should introduce such advance technology that uses less water and gives us better production,” Dr Hanif added.

Pakistan is blessed with an ideal fertile soil for agriculture. With a proper mechanism and best agriculture practices in place, we can protect our land and get high output. The government should give interest-free and easily accessible loans and subsidies to the farmers on fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides.

Credits: INP-WealthPk