By Arooj Zulfiqar

ISLAMABAD, July 18: China’s technological advancements can go a long way in helping Pakistan to curb large-scale desertification, respond to frequent pest attacks, boost biodiversity, and enhance agricultural productivity.

Pakistan is an agricultural country and its economy relies heavily on the agriculture sector, as it contributes 22% to GDP. However, Pakistan is facing a lot of challenges in the agriculture sector, including desertification, depletion of water resources, a lack of technological innovations and frequent pest attacks.

Talking to WealthPK in this regard, an official from Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, said, “Pakistan has a strong relationship with China, and since the latter has made tremendous progress in the agriculture sector, the former can learn from its experiences to improve agriculture output.”

Requesting anonymity, the official said that cooperation between China and Pakistan, especially in combating desertification, pest control and improving biodiversity will help boost the agriculture sector’s productivity.

The official added, “Arid or semi-arid land makes up almost 80% of Pakistan's total land, and much of it is susceptible to desertification. As Pakistan's population grows and climate change effects take hold, desertification becomes one of the country's biggest concerns.”

“Many natural and human factors contribute to desertification, including droughts, overexploitation of land and water resources, over-cultivation of marginal lands, deforestation, soil erosion, water logging, salinity, and inappropriate agricultural practices,” the official said.

“Over the past few decades, desertification in some dryland areas has expanded in scope and intensity. As a result, agricultural productivity is lost and poverty increased. It also reduces soil carbon storage, contributing to global warming and biodiversity loss,” he said.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Ashraf Khan, a scientific officer at the National Agriculture Research Centre, told WealthPK that insects were a big threat to crops and overall agriculture production and food supply. “Every fruit or vegetable has its own pests, which are controlled through different methods.”

“Crops are damaged by insects in two major ways. The first is a direct injury caused by insects eating leaves and burrowing holes in stems, fruit and roots. The second type of damage occurs when insects themselves do little or no damage, but transmit bacterial, viral or fungal infections to crops,” he said. One of the safest ways to control pest insects, he said, was the use of bio-control agents.

According to him, the presence of pest insects can negatively affect agricultural production, the environment, and our way of life. To stop crop losses, he said, Pakistan needs to take curative measures. “With China’s help, Pakistan can control pest damage by adopting latest technology and curative techniques.” 

According to Pakistan Ambassador to China Moinul Haque, cooperation between China and Pakistan in the agriculture sector can help Islamabad overcome desertification, ensure biodiversity conservation and improve pest control.

He said a meeting between relevant officials from both the countries was held at the Pakistan embassy in Beijing, where both sides discussed different projects. He said Dr Zhou Jinfeng, Secretary General of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, also attended the meeting.

He said the foundation’s help was sought to combat climate change effects on Pakistan’s agriculture sector.

Credits: INP-WealthPk