Separate the Wheat from the Chaff

Farmers need access to quality inputs for enhanced yields

Lahore: Pakistan is celebrating Farmers’ Day on Sunday (December 18) to acknowledge the contribution of the farming community to the economy, employment and food security.

Like the previous years, the celebrations are mere rituals of paying tributes to the farming community at the selected gatherings rather than practically doing something to bring a change in their lives.

For agriculturists, the best way to recognise the services of the farmers is not just arranging events at the President or Prime Minister Houses but taking practical steps to enable them get enhanced yields and due returns of their produce.

As such, the way forward is to enable the farming community, especially the small growers, to use quality inputs, embrace modern technology and adopt best farming practices to enhance yield. It will not only improve their livelihoods but also help the country achieve food security.

Aamer Hayat Bhandara, a progressive farmer from Pakpattan and the co-founder of the Agriculture Republic and Digital Dera, said that holding events with selected gatherings will not serve the purpose.

“The small growers should be given access to quality inputs and modern technology. They should be enabled to adopt best farming practices to reduce the pre- and post-harvest losses. It will help increase the yield and as such income of the farmers, besides achieving the much-needed food security in the country,” he added.

The Farmer’s Day was celebrated for the first time in the country’s history on December 18, 2019 on the proposal of Fatima Fertiliser Company, aimed at promoting the farmers’ welfare and prosperity.

The then prime minister Imran Khan acknowledged and endorsed the idea to help the farmers with higher crop yields and a better lifestyle.

His tweet on December 18, 2019 reads, “On Kissan Day, I want to reiterate our commitment to facilitating our small farmers in increasing yields, getting fair prices for their crops and improving market access. We are also ensuring their access to Sehat Health Cards and to educational scholarships through Ehsaas programme.”

Since 2019, Fatima Group is the only organisation, which is arranging events to bring together the government dignitaries, diplomats, agriculturists and members of the farmers’ community. The purpose is to highlight measures to increase the contribution of agriculture to GDP, yields of major crops through fertiliser, modern technology and certified seeds, giving relief to the farmers by reducing the input cost and improving the overall state and wellbeing of the rural community.

For experts, the real issue is the lack of access of small growers to the quality inputs, latest information and technology, which is affecting the quality of their lives, besides posing a threat of food insecurity in Pakistan.

There is an issue of low productivity and quality due to the affordability of inputs, which include raw materials, advanced technologies, information, advisory and financial services.

If the government offers any support, it is for the affluent and not for the marginalised rural communities, including small farmers, women and youth. Most subsidies are indirect. Wheat support price, sugar, electricity and fertiliser subsidies are all indirect — little benefit reach the marginalised small farmers.

The direct transfer of subsidies reach small farmers but they are offered for a few inputs. Extension (training and advisory) and other support services does not reach the small farmers and rural women — quality and outreach are both limited.

Of the Rs1.2 billion agriculture loans, 16 per cent are borrowed by the subsistence-level farmers, 32 per cent by mid to large size farmers and 52 per cent by the traders and processors of agricultural products.

The prevailing state of affairs is causing growers to get far below yield of major crops than the actual potential. In the biggest federating unit, average wheat yield is 2,768 kilogramme/hectare, far below than its actual potential of 9,687kg/hectare. Even the progressive farmers are getting 4,942kg/hectare, which is far below the world’s average yield of 8,995kg/hectare. The same is the case with other major crops such as cotton, sugarcane, rice and maize.

Punjab’s average yield of cotton, sugarcane, rice and maize is 2,135, 61,875, 4,690 and 6,138kg/hectare, respectively, while the actual potential of cotton, sugarcane, rice and maize yield is 6,919, 177,916, 9,884 and 11,861kg/hectare, respectively.

The Punjab’s progressive farmers are getting 4,448kg/hectare cotton, 108,726kg/hectare sugarcane, 8,599kg/hectare rice and 7,907kg/hectare maize. The world’s best average yield of cotton, sugarcane, rice and maize is 5,436, 123,157, 10,181 and 9,766kg/hectare, respectively, which is two to three times more than the average yield in Punjab. Even the progressive farmers are not catching up with the world’s best yield for these major crops.

The experts believe the farmers in Punjab could get more yield than the world’s best average by using technology and adopting best farming practices. But it is impossible without the active support and patronage of the government.

They said the technology adoption can increase the productivity level of the progressive farmers, which can be elevated to the world’s best by focusing on research. Pakistan spends just 0.18 per cent of GDP on research and development as against the world spending of 2.2 per cent.

The significant allocation for research, crop diversification, use of certified seeds and modern technology and better farming practices could boost agriculture sector and improve the livelihoods of the rural community, the experts said.

“There is a need to enable small growers get yield according to the actual potential,” Bhandara said and suggested the government to improve access of farmers to finance, latest information, quality inputs and modern technology and enable them adopt best farming practices to minimise the pre- and post-harvest losses.

“The major crops continue to remain the primary focus of the farmers, despite low returns. Through diversification and investment in the value-added sectors, Pakistan can help the growers increase their income and enhance exports of fruits, vegetables and processed food items,” he said.

Outdated marketing system is also an issue, which is benefiting the middlemen at the expense of the farmers, he added.

“The farmers’ inability to store produce and unavailability of market intelligence has put the small growers on the mercy of powerful middlemen,” Bhandara said and suggested the government to intervene to safeguard the interests of the small growers.

Muhammad Asim, CropLife Biotechnology and Seed Committee lead, also called for enabling the farmers to use quality inputs, modern technology and adoption of good farming practices to enhance crop yields.

“It is essential to improve the livelihood of the rural communities and achieve the much-needed food security. There is a need to enable the farmers grow more on less land. The introduction of hybrid seeds has helped increase yields of maize and rice in Pakistan,” he said, adding that there was a need to give the farmers access to innovative technologies and to ensure food security in the days to come.

The farmers should not be deprived of fruits of latest advancement in the agriculture sector like disease, pest and climate-resistant genetically modified seeds of different crops, he added.

Biotechnology would help reduce the input cost by minimising the use of pesticides, he said and suggested the use of drones for crop monitoring and insecticide spray.

“The use of drones will help identify the portions of crop under pest attack. The pictures will enable the farmers apply only the required quantity of pesticides. It will put to an end the excessive use of pesticides, besides saving the community from the hazards of direct exposure,” he added.