Arsalan Ali

Pakistan needs to adopt climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices to avoid wastage of resources and boost agricultural production, experts say. Saqib Sultan, former project manager at Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), said while talking to WealthPK that the vulnerability of the agricultural sector to climate change and the common issue of lower productivity in provinces such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are some of the main challenges which need immediate attention.

Saqib identified a knowledge gap as a major issue, as well as institutional inefficiencies hindering the adoption of CSA for small farmers. “CSA is crucial for Pakistan, especially in the light of increasing population, urbanisation, and changing climate over the past decade,” he emphasised.

To address these challenges, he emphasised the importance of identifying locally relevant solutions and technologies. He noted that Pakistan’s economy relies heavily on agriculture, which also provides inputs for the industrial sector. Therefore, he said, any environmental disaster or effect directly impacts the agriculture sector and the livelihoods of people.

Saqib outlined several strategies to expedite the adoption of CSA, including the implementation of high-efficiency irrigation systems. He said water management is a key issue in Pakistan, with over 90% of water being overexploited in the agriculture sector. He said financing is also a major issue, and suggested that Pakistan can seek Chinese cooperation in this area. Other strategies he mentioned include crop diversification for small farmers and the use of stress-tolerant crops that are suitable for local climate.

Saqib also emphasised the importance of integrated pest management, which uses an integrated approach of biological culture and judicial use of chemicals to minimise economic costs and reduce health and environmental risks. He also highlighted the need for investment in the irrigation sector, as well as high-quality seeds and high-value crops. He suggested that cooperation with China in these areas could benefit Pakistan’s agriculture sector.

Dr M Azam Khan, Director of CPEC Agricultural Cooperation Centre at PMAS Arid Agricultural University, told WealthPK that farmers face high costs of production due to factors such as low crop consumption when using fertilisers and inefficient irrigation systems, resulting in the wastage of water.

Quoting a research study conducted by PMAS Arid Agriculture, Faisalabad Agriculture, and Multan Agriculture University, he said a significant portion, ranging from 32 to 50% of the fertilisers used by farmers, do not get fully consumed by the crops. Similarly, in some regions, farmers are using solar panels for water pumping, but the resulting water is being used for flood irrigation, which is an expensive practice.

Dr Azam emphasised the importance of reducing the cost of production for Pakistani farmers. He said mechanisation through the adoption of modern technology could help decrease labour dependence, which is currently expensive due to shortage of labour because of migration from rural to urban areas.

Dr Azam also highlighted the decreasing production of cotton in Pakistan due to urbanisation and labour shortages. According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan, the country’s cotton production for the year 2017-18 was recorded at 11.946 million bales with a yield of 753 (kg/ha), while in 2021-22, the production stood at 8.329 million bales with a yield of 731 (kg/ha).

He recommended mechanisation as a solution and cited China’s success in developing small and corporate farming machines to improve its agriculture sector. He added that many farmers have been shifting from the production of wheat to canola. Regarding canola production, he suggested taking advantage of Chinese varieties that mature once at one time, as most Pakistani varieties mature in three segments, making harvesting a big issue.

Dr Azam added that developing agriculture cooperation between Pakistan and China under CPEC’s second phase could benefit both countries. He emphasised the importance of technology transfer and service providers to make modern technology accessible to small farmers.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk