By Arooj Zulfiqar

ISLAMABAD, Aug 17, (INP-WealthPK): Pakistan needs to grow sunflowers on a large scale to decrease its reliance on imported edible oil and save its foreign exchange reserves, WealthPK reports.

The edible oil produced in Pakistan can’t meet domestic  needs. Pakistan is one of the countries where sunflower, a significant oilseed crop, is grown for its edible oil but the yield is low owing to such problems as a lack of high-quality seeds, low market price and cost of seeds.

Nazakat Nawaz, Principle Scientific Officer at National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC), told WealthPK that Pakistan must grow sunflowers on a larger scale to enhance its production and decrease dependency on imported edible oil.

“Sunflower is a significant crop, which is grown around the world mostly for getting edible oil. Pakistan is a dynamic agricultural country where various crops are grown including sunflower, which can help us reduce our edible oil bills,” he said.

The cultivation of sunflowers has been on the decline in Pakistan since 2010. Reduced yield and a low market value are the main reason for the decrease in the cultivation of sunflowers in the country.

“Many farmers in the country complain that the cost of production is increasing and the return price for sunflowers is quite low. Other limitations include the scarcity of seeds, the undervalued market for the crop and the high cost of seeds,” said Nazakat Nawaz.

He said that the decline in the cultivation of sunflowers has led to a reduction in the production of edible oil in the country. The local production of edible oil fulfilled only 30 percent of the domestic needs. The annual cost of importing edible oil surpassed $4 billion.

“A huge increase in the local production of edible oil is necessary, given the large import bill for a single commodity. Sunflower has a high oil content, making it evident that this crop can overcome the shortage of edible oil in the country,” said Nazakat Nawaz.

He said that one of the crops that could reduce imports of edible oil was the sunflower. Despite being a challenging crop, its yield showed good results in the country, especially in Balochistan, owing to the subsidies given to the farmers by the government.

“However, these subsidies are still not sufficient, keeping in view our needs. We would be able to meet local demand and build up significant reserves within two to three years if the government continues to assist farmers,” said Nazakat Nawaz. However, he added that the government has yet to take serious steps to increase the cultivation of sunflowers across the country.

The high input costs associated with sunflower cultivation ultimately raised the cost of production for farmers. “To help farmers, the government must intervene and chalk out a programme with financial incentives,” he added.

The official said that Rs10 billion is being spent as part of the Prime Minister's Agricultural Emergency Programme to entice farmers to start growing oilseeds. Under the programme, the government provides financial assistance to rapeseed, soybean, sunflower and sesame growers.

He said that the government is providing a subsidy of Rs5,000 per acre to farmers to reduce the import of edible oil. The government will give incentives to farmers for buying machinery so they may boost their output and production.

“The programme seeks to decrease the nation’s import expenditures by assisting local growers. The goal of the sunflower crop subsidy is to increase production of oilseeds in the country,” Nazakat Nawaz told WealthPK.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk