Comment by Riaz Haq on August 25, 2019 at 3:48pm

Govt keen to promote agriculture, livestock sectors on modern lines

https://www.app.com.pk/govt-keen-to-promote-agriculture-livestock-s...

The initiative would also help in promoting the cultivation of minor crops like oil seed, pulses on which the country is spending billion of dollars every year, besides, it would also help in promoting the culture of growing high value fruit, vegetables and development of livestock sector to fetch handsome foreign exchange reserves for the country.

In this regard, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in its recent meeting has accorded approval to 13 mega development projects conceived under emergency program, whereas the final approval is likely to be given by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) in its next meeting.

Commenting on the salient features of the program, Focal Person of Prime Minister Emergency Program Muhammad Ali Talpur said that out of the total Rs309 billion package, the federal government would provide Rs84 billion while the remaining amount of Rs225 billion would be shared by the provincial governments.

He said the current government, after assuming the power, had attached high priority to the development of agricultural sector and had enhanced overall allocations for this sector.

The federal government had increased its spending from Rs1 billion in its annual Development Plan last year to Rs12 billion and same was followed in Punjab and other provinces, adding that the government intended to take up the spending up to the record level of Rs70 billion during next four years.

He said that the program was a revolutionary step of the government and beside promoting the agricultural sector it would also be beneficial for the local farmers as the special efforts would be made to enhance the per acre yield of all major crops.

Special measures, he said would also be introduced to enhance per acre yield of wheat from 35-40 maunds, rice by 10-20 maunds, sugarcane by 650-800 maunds, adding that incentives were announced for the cultivation of oil seeds like canola and sunflower.

In order to make the agriculture produces more competitive, he said that special measures would be introduced for energy, water conservation and pest management to reduce the cost of production.

He further said that Rs220 billion would be spent on the construction of small dams and water courses development, adding that 70,000 water courses would be developed.

About 50% of total water courses would be upgraded and developed which would help save about 9 million acres feet water annually and this program would be completed with in next four years,he remarked
Meanwhile, Spokesman of Federal Ministry of National Food Security and Research Dr Javed Hammayun said that beside this program, the government was also negotiating with China for its cooperation in agricultural sector development by sharing its expertise and knowledge.

He said that in order to share the Chinese expertise in the field of agriculture and livestock farming, joint working groups had been formed for identifying the areas of cooperation.

Besides, he said that a frame work agreement and a Memorandum of understanding were also signed with China for establishing foot and mouth disease free zone for livestock production to fulfill the international standards that would help in enhancing the local meat and its products exports.

He said that a Joint Working Group of both the countries was formed under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which would meet in October this year and finalize the areas of cooperation.

Dr Javed Hammayun said that in the JWG meeting, both the countries would finalize the cooperation in the areas of remote sensing technology, pre and post harvest handling and storage of agriculture commodities.

Both the countries were likely to set bilateral cooperation for establishing genetic resource of crops, livestock and poultry, he added.

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 28, 2019 at 7:10pm

What The Uber Of Tractors Means For The Future Of Agtech In Africa

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennysplitter/2019/08/12/what-the-uber...

“Capitalism in agriculture, within sub-Saharan Africa, is alive and well,” says Jehiel Oliver. Oliver is the CEO of the agtech company Hello Tractor, whose smartphone app connects smallholder farmers with tractor owners looking to rent. Dubbed the "Uber for tractors," Hello Tractor first launched in Nigeria in 2014, and then quickly expanded into Kenya. The company is now poised for even further expansion, with testing underway in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

From Startup To Scaling Up
With the population of sub-Saharan Africa continuing to rise, many smallholder farmers want to scale up production. But there are challenges. Equipment is expensive, financing is out of reach and the scale is often too small, with many farmers looking for equipment for only a few days each growing season. That’s where Hello Tractor comes in.

The company’s farmer-to-owner matchmaking service quickly found success, but there were a few missteps along the way. For the first two years, Hello Tractor’s strategy was to make and sell the unit that goes on top of the tractor, but that turned out to be a mistake, at least according to Oliver. “We really struggled because we were basically trying to do something we had no business doing,” he says, “selling heavy equipment.” 

It may have been a mistake, but the choice also proved a valuable lesson. “Throw everything you think you know out the window,” he says of the experience. He placed a lot of value on outside experts whispering in his ear back then, and the misfire forced him to shift his focus back to his farmer customers.

Comment by Riaz Haq on November 21, 2019 at 7:38am

In Pakistan, banks urged to increase agri-credit disbursement

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2102876/2-underserved-areas-banks-urge...

Overall agriculture credit disbursement target of Rs1,350 billion has been assigned to banks for FY20, which is 89% of the total estimated credit requirement of Rs1,518 billion.

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir on Tuesday praised banks for their efforts to increase lending to the agriculture sector, which reached a historic high by the end of the fiscal year 2018-19.

“It is for the first time in Pakistan’s history that credit to the agriculture sector has surpassed Rs1 trillion,” said the governor in his keynote address.

He was chairing the annual meeting of the Agricultural Credit Advisory Committee (ACAC) held in Peshawar as part of efforts to enhance agriculture credit in the underserved provinces and regions.

Baqir, however, urged the banks to meet qualitative aspects of the assigned targets as well in line with the strategic shift and key policy actions taken by the SBP for agricultural financing.

He highlighted that most of the banks met their assigned targets except for some including Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank Limited (PPCBL), some domestic private banks and Islamic banks, which fell short of the targets.

Province-wise agriculture credit disbursement showed a double-digit growth across all provinces and regions but banks struggled to achieve the targets in underserved regions. He urged the banks and institutions to step up efforts and commitment to ensure the achievement of agriculture credit targets in the underserved provinces and regions. The central bank governor pointed out that the SBP was considering three policy actions to further promote financial inclusion in the agriculture sector.

First, it wants to enhance transparency through disclosure of bank-wise performance statistics on a monthly basis covering agriculture credit disbursement, geographical distribution, outstanding amount, number of borrowers and agriculture credit infrastructure. Second, it seeks to introduce a comprehensive scoring model for the ranking of banks based on key agriculture credit indicators and targets. Third, it will introduce incentives and penalties based on the performance scores of banks.

Baqir emphasised that there were huge lending opportunities for banks, which would promote financial inclusion and aid their profitability.

The governor’s speech was followed by a presentation where the performance of banks in agriculture financing in FY19 was reviewed.

It was shared that the overall agriculture credit disbursement target of Rs1,350 billion had been assigned to banks for FY20, which was 89% of the total estimated credit requirement of Rs1,518 billion.

It was highlighted that Islamic banks and Islamic branches of commercial banks had been assigned the disbursement target of Rs110 billion for FY20, which was in line with the previous year to help realise the potential of Islamic agriculture financing.

Furthermore, the overall target of outstanding borrowers was enhanced to 4.67 million with the addition of 650,000 new borrowers.

The committee deliberated on the new directions in agriculture financing by focusing on technology, especially the digitalisation of agriculture loan processes through the adoption of Land Record Information Systems, Electronic Warehouse Receipt Financing System and initiatives like the Kissan Digital Portal. These were key priorities under the National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2023.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 9, 2019 at 11:47am

#Pakistan to increase #olive production. In a project in Chakwal, the #agriculture dept of #Punjab planted more than one million trees on an area of 3200 hectares and 750 farmers of the district benefited from it. https://pakobserver.net/pak-pursuing-plan-to-increase-olive-product... via @Pakistan observer | Daily Newspaper

Pakistan had ambitious plans for increasing its olive production and it had the potential to take over Spain as the biggest producer of olives in the years to come
Under a project in Chakwal, the agriculture department of Punjab had almost planted more than one million trees on an area of 3200 hectares and 750 farmers of the district benefited from it.
According to Inamul Haq, an officer in Barani Agriculture Research Institute, the agriculture department of Punjab had launched the mega flagship programme to develop Potohar area into an olive valley in 2015-16.—APP

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 9, 2019 at 12:33pm

#Balochistan's Small #Farmers To Get 1,000 Locally Produced #Tractors under Green Tractor Program. #Pakistan - UrduPoint https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/balochistans-small-farmers-to...

In the first phase, 1,000 tractors would be awarded to the small farmers of the province on subsidized rate and the programme would be expanded to 3,000 tractors, the Spokesperson of Balochistan government, Liaqaut Shahwani said while talking to APP.

Shahwani said the Balochistan government had expanded the allocation for the project from Rs 500 million to Rs 1 bill to flourish the agriculture sector and facilitate the farmers.

The recovery will be made in a period of seven years, every beneficiary have to pay monthly installment of nine thousands, the spokesperson informed.

He further said that latest technologies would be introduced to enhance the productivity of agriculture in the province.

The Balochistan government had allocated Rs 9.098 billion for the development of irrigation system in the province to increase the agricultural production which would ultimately benefit the farmers.

He said that the provincial government had decided to construct small dams sprawling over a large area of the province to resolve the water scarcity issue of the province.

He said, "The government has allocated Rs 500 million for the construction of small dams to preserve rain water as the entire province was dependent on ground water.

" He said the government had also planned to build dam on the area of Shaghzai, Gwadar to resolve water issue in the area.

The plan to build dam on Bolan River was also under consideration to conserve water being dumped aimlessly with a cost of Rs 1.5 billion, he added.

In the current fiscal year 2019-20, he said the government had spent Rs 250 million on the development and expansion of command area of Kachhi canal to achieve the goal of irrigating more land of the province.

"The government has been taking the initiative to encourage farmers for cultivating olive trees whereas the government has allocated Rs 100 million for the development and boosting of olive farming in the province," he noted.

The province has huge potential in the agro sector but water scarcity and prolonged drought had badly destroyed the agriculture of the province, said Liaquat Shahwani.

The Balochistan government, he said was taking initiatives to resolve issues in agriculture sector in the province on priority.

Shahwani said that agriculture was the backbone of the country's economy and it provided 50 percent employment opportunities to the country's workforce.

He said the provincial government under the leadership of Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan had been working to increase agricultural output by devising out of the box and effective solutions.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 9, 2019 at 4:29pm

Long delayed first phase of 363 Km long Kachhi Canal completed to irrigate 102,000 acres of land in #Balochistan, #Pakistan. #water #farming https://www.dawn.com/news/1508140

The first phase of Kachhi Canal has been completed and work on the second phase is under way.

Presiding over a meeting, Chief Secretary Fazeel Asghar said that Balochistan would see a new era of development after the completion of the Kachhi Canal project.

He said farm production would increase after completion of this project, which in turn would boost economy and improve quality of life in the province.

The meeting was informed that after completion of the first phase of Kachhi Canal, 102,000 acres of land would come under cultivation.

Comment by Riaz Haq on February 13, 2020 at 2:12pm

FAO DG to visit #Pakistan this week. #FAO’s work globally and in Pakistan focusing on Zero hunger and Food Security issues related to climate change. #food #hunger #ClimateChange https://nation.com.pk/13-Feb-2020/fao-dg-to-visit-pakistan-this-week

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Qu Dongyu will be arriving in Pakistan on a three-day state visit on Friday as part of his vision to further strengthen the years’ long extraordinary collaboration of the country and FAO. During his visit, the Director General, FAO will call on the Prime Minister of Pakistan besides meeting with Federal Minister of Food Security and Research and other high-level officials, representatives from the private sector, youth representatives, academia, civil society and resource partners to apprise them of FAO’s work globally and in Pakistan, focusing on Zero hunger and Food Security in the context of the global climate change scenario. The Director-General will also travel to rural Punjab to meet with small-holder farmers who are most at risk from natural disasters, the UN information center said.


Qu Dongyu, a former Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, elected as FAO Director-General in June 2019, has stressed the crucial role that FAO, which has 194 member states, can play in addressing key global challenges and accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals for all.

The priority challenges requiring urgent attention remain; the increasing rates of hunger and malnutrition, climate change-related risks to agriculture, ongoing natural resource depletion and environmental pollution and the growing spread of trans-boundary animal and plant pests and diseases.

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 29, 2020 at 8:55am

Zero-carbon hydro-ram water pumps turn #Pakistan's barren mountains green with apple trees. Pumps feed drip #irrigation system that delivers a steady, gentle flow of water to mountain-top crops, using less water than traditional irrigation #GilgitBaltistan https://reut.rs/2UrCyz3

GOJAL VALLEY, Pakistan (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Shovel in hand, Naila Shah regularly walks two miles from her home to a newly planted apple orchard, high in the mountains of Khyber village in northern Pakistan.

Only two years ago, it would have been practically impossible to grow apples in this part of Pakistan, 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) up in Gilgit-Baltistan region’s Gojal Valley.

Although the Khunjerab River provides plenty of water to those living in the valleys below, local farmers used to have no efficient way to get it up the mountain-sides.

But the installation of a hydraulic ram (hydro-ram) pump has changed that. It harnesses the pressure of fast-flowing water, such as a river, to drive a share of that water uphill without needing any other power source.

Because the pumps work without electricity or fuel, they are cheap to run and produce no climate-heating carbon emissions.

“Previously, we used to survive on rainwater,” said Shah, a teacher and secretary of a local women’s development group.

“The land used to be barren, as water couldn’t be lifted from the river flowing right next to the area,” she said, digging out weeds from around the bases of young trees.

Low-cost, sustainable irrigation systems like hydro-ram pumps could be key to helping Pakistan’s mountain communities adapt as climate change drives more severe droughts and floods across the country, environmental experts said.

“The government cannot afford larger irrigation systems,” said Haider Raza of green group WWF-Pakistan, which installed the pump in Khyber village two years ago under a project led by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

“But these high-efficiency irrigation systems, which aren’t an expensive technology, can be used to improve the livelihoods of local communities,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Encouraged by the results, the United Nations Development Programme gave WWF-Pakistan additional funding to install 20 more hydro-ram pumps in 12 villages.


Each pump is connected to a drip irrigation system that delivers a steady, gentle flow of water to mountain-top crops, using less water than many traditional irrigation methods.

The pumps have helped revive about 60 acres (24 hectares) of previously barren land, benefiting nearly 300 households, Raza said.

Their simple design - consisting mainly of pipes and two valves - means few moving parts to maintain or repair.

Upkeep of the pumps, which cost up to 70,000 Pakistani rupees ($430) to build and install, is easy and affordable for communities, who have welcomed the new systems, Raza added.

Seeing the potential for low-cost irrigation to help mountain communities, Pakistan’s government last year approved funding for the Gilgit-Baltistan water management department to install 50 hydro-ram pumps, along with 150 solar-powered pumps.

Those systems should help irrigate 1,050 acres of orchards in nearly a dozen districts, according to Mudassar Maqsood, associate programme coordinator at ICIMOD.

The government’s efforts to bring water to high-altitude communities may also get a boost from nature itself.

Climate experts predict shifting rainfall patterns in Pakistan could in future move the wet season away from its southern and central plains to northern mountain regions.

Muhammad Irfan Tariq, who recently retired from his post as director general of Pakistan’s climate change ministry, said the plains might eventually get less monsoon rain than they do now.

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 29, 2020 at 5:01pm

#Pakistan's silent #olive revolution with increasing area under cultivation. 3m plants producing 1,415 tons of #oil worth Rs 4.416 billion by 2024. Pothwar has 1.2 million olive plants on 11,125 acres. More in #KP, #Balochistan, #GilgitBaltistan & #Kashmir https://www.dawn.com/news/1537650


The sector is rapidly moving the country towards self-reliance by introducing Pakistan’s national brand under the name of ‘PakOlive’ by 2021. The Pakistan Olive Oil Council will be established under the Ministry Of National Food Security and Research to suggest policy measures for the promotion of olive oil in the country. The government will also issue certifications for the marketing and branding of olive oil for the private sector.

“Certification is important as our local olive products can then become competitive in the international market,” said Dr Muhammad Tariq, national project director for the promotion of olive cultivation on a commercial scale in Pakistan. Furthermore, utilising marginal lands will help grow a cottage industry for olive products, he explained.

The project targets plantations of over 50,000 acres in the country by 2022. The available potential area for olive cultivation is about 10 million acres in Punjab, particularly the Pothwar region, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and erstwhile Fata, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Given its potential for growing olive plantations, Pothwar has been termed as an ‘olive valley’ where over 1.2 million olive plants are being grown on an area of 11,125 acres, engaging about 1,300 farmers. More than half the plants will start bearing fruit in 2019-20’s cropping period, producing 5,118 tonnes of olive oil. By 2024, the value of oil olive production will increase to Rs1.727 billion.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, over a million olive plants are being grown on an area of 9,391 acres engaging 768 farmers. The production of olive oil is estimated to reach the value of Rs1.458bn in 2024.

In Balochistan, over half a million plants are being grown over an area of over 9,391 acres and it is expected that by 2024, the value of oil will be Rs1.160bn.

In Islamabad Capital Territory and AJK, over 50,000 plants are being grown on an area of 455 acres of land engaging 228 farmers. The value of oil by 2024 is expected to be Rs71 million.

Thus, by 2024, the country will have about 3m fruit-bearing olive plants producing roughly 1,415 tonnes of olive oil with an estimated value of Rs4.416bn. The climate change ministry also plans to plant 1m olive plants.

Edible oil is an every-day use food item. Pakistan has been chronically deficient in its production. More than 80 per cent of the domestic requirements are met through imports. Since the early-1970s, its imports have increased at the rate of 12.5pc annually and the trend is worsening.

In 2017 alone, more than $3.2bn was spent on the import of oil, oil meal and oilseeds to meet domestic needs. Pakistan imported 3,000 tonnes of olive oil worth Rs1.241bn during 2017-18.

Dr Tariq explained that utilising marginal lands will help the cottage industry of olive products grow. Thus, livelihoods will be improved through employment generation opportunities created by olive value-chains developed in less-favoured regions of the country.

Olive forests resist drought and help absorb greenhouse gases when the capability of other trees decrease, making them more efficient in taking in carbon dioxide.

They also provide permanent crop cover that not only saves land from erosion and further degradation but also minimises silt load to downstream water reservoirs. Olive orchards require less water, fertilisers, pesticides and fuel energy as compared to other major annual oilseed crops.

Comment by Riaz Haq on April 6, 2020 at 4:01pm

Pakistan's average daily per capita calorific intake was estimated by ADB at 2,440 kcal in 2013. Cereals accounted for 48% of daily calorific intake in 2013. Calorific intake from animal sources comprised 22%, while fruit and vegetables accounted for 2%. The average daily per capita protein consumption was estimated at 65.5 grams, while the average dietary energy supply adequacy was estimated to be 108% in 2015-2017.

https://www.brecorder.com/2020/01/08/559976/political-instability-d...

Approximately 46% of agricultural production comes from the cropping sector, compared with 54% from livestock. Buffalo meat was the single most valuable commodity produced in Pakistan in 2016 at around $9.8 billion. Other important commodities produced included buffalo's milk ($9.4 billion), wheat ($7.4 billion), beef ($5.5 billion), cotton ($3.3 billion), and chicken meat ($3.2 billion).

Sugarcane was the largest crop produced with 65 million tons in 2016. Other important products included wheat (26 million tons), rice (10.2 million tons), maize (6.1 million tons), and cotton (5.3 million tons). Around 4.5 million tons of fertilizers were used in Pakistan in 2016, and a further 913,000 tons were imported into the country that year.

Pakistan's livestock sub-sector, on the other hand, has demonstrated steady growth, especially in the face of increasing demand for livestock products due to a growing and rapidly urbanized population.

The country's livestock sub-sector represents approximately 56% of value addition in agriculture and employs roughly 30 million people. Despite the increased production of poultry products, its external trade is low and has not realized the potential experienced in other livestock sub-sectors. In 2016, total poultry exports were valued at $2.7 million.

Pakistan imported $7.1 billion worth of agricultural goods in 2016, compared with $3.7 billion in agricultural exports. Pakistan's main agricultural export commodities were rice ($1.7 billion), wheat flour ($173 million), tangerines and mandarins ($158 million), beef ($155 million), sugar ($123 million), and dates ($103 million). Palm oil was Pakistan's main food import at $1.7 billion, followed by cotton lint ($581 million), tea ($490 million), rapeseed ($464 million), soybeans ($383 million), and coffee ($329 million).

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