Various farmers/agriculturist bodies have accused the caretaker government of releasing 600,000 acre feet of water in January from the reservoirs to produce electricity instead of conserving it for cr

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is helping Pakistan craft, a comprehensive energy efficiency policy and investment programme to meet the growing energy demands of an expanding economy and population.

Wheat scientists are on high alert to combat any threat of UG99 wheat fungus.

The Nuclear Institute of Agriculture Tando Jam is organising Farmers' Day here at the Institute on March 5. In this respect, the Institute has arranged a joint gathering of farmers and agriculture researchers where Dr Abdul Rashid Member Biosciences and Dr Mazhar H Naqvi Director General Agriculture and Biotechnology of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission will deliver speeches on the role of PAEC in agriculture. Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2008

The President of Sindh Abadgar Board, Abdul Majeed Nizamani, has stressed the need for carrying out comprehensive research on agriculture and irrigation water with the objective to enhance yield per acre in the country. The neighbouring country, India, is spending 1.3 percent of GDP on water research and three percent on agriculture research, but in Pakistan only 0.3 percent of total GDP has been allocated for the purpose, he said while talking to Business Recorder here on Friday. He said there was need for comprehensive research to find out the causes of shortage of water so that in the light of these findings concrete measures could be adopted to overcome the longstanding problem of acute shortage of water every year for Rabi and Kharif crops. In the absence of any study for the release of water towards downstream of the river, the sea intrusion rendered millions of acres of agricultural land uncultivated, he said, and underlined the need for a detailed study in this respect. About the shortage of irrigation water, Nizamani claimed that 72 percent shortage of water in Sindh adversely affected the Rabi crops of the season and if such shortage of water continued, it could also affect the Kharif crops. Though Sindh Irrigation Department has admitted shortage of 48 percent of water. However, the factual position is that the province had suffered 72 percent shortage this season, he added. Copyright Business Recorder, 2008

The Nuclear Institute of Agriculture Tando Jam is organising Farmers' Day here at the Institute on March 5. In this respect, the Institute has arranged a joint gathering of farmers and agriculture researchers where Dr Abdul Rashid Member Biosciences and Dr Mazhar H Naqvi Director General Agriculture and Biotechnology of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission will deliver speeches on the role of PAEC in agriculture. Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2008

The Agribusiness Support Fund's (ASF) appraisal committee has approved 96 grants worth Rs 22.2 million for different private sector agribusiness enterprises focusing on reducing poverty in rural areas. According to a message received here on Saturday the committee meeting, held in Lahore early this week. Particularly considered NWFP, FANA and Balochistan for these grants for enterprises ranging from farmer groups to SMEs, from all over Pakistan for different business development services (BDS). Grants to farmers enterprises groups (FEGs) were provided for establishment of grass-roots level income-generating activities, with a focus on value-addition. These groups have 1200 farmers all over Pakistan. The major initiative was supporting clusters of FEGs--approximately five FEG in every cluster--in establishment of milk chilling centres to preserve milk and ensuring its supply to ultimate consumer in pure and fresh condition and increasing income by eliminating the role of middlemen, walk-in tunnels for off-season farming of different vegetables, flower growing and marketing and pickles production and sales: ASF also supported enterprises in setting up nurseries and introducing new varieties of fruits and vegetables. Funding support to SMEs included grant support for setting up of mega cold storage facility in Karachi aimed at reducing spoilage. This facility will play an important role in the promotion of exports of horticultural produce from Pakistan to international markets. ASF also supported an association of fruit and vegetables exporters, importers and merchants in the establishment of 'Business Resource Centre'. The purpose of this centre will be to provide business opportunities, marketing services, training and linkages development etc. In addition, another association in the floriculture sector was provided support in creation of a strategy document for their operations. ASF also continued its support to agribusiness enterprises in gaining different certifications aimed at enhancing exports of fruits and vegetables. The Agribusiness Development and Diversification Project (ADDP) of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Minfal) with the support from Asian Development Bank had created ASF with a grant of Rs 4.1 billion. ASF has been established to develop the agribusiness sector in Pakistan to support economic growth and for employment generation. It has further been tasked to promote private sector agribusiness enterprises by providing matching grants for purchase of BDS and also providing capacity building support to BDS providers. Copyright Business Recorder, 2008

The government has increased petroleum products' prices, which will be effective for the fortnight, from March 1 to March 15. The petrol price has been raised from Rs 53.70 per litre to Rs 58.70, diesel from Rs 32.57 per litre to Rs 36.07, kerosene oil from Rs 35.23 per litre to Rs 38.73 and HOBC per litre from Rs 64.88 to Rs 69.88, a notification of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) said. The oil prices in the international market showed a record surge during the last several months, which compelled the government to pass on partial increase to consumers, said a government spokesman. The petrol and HOBC prices have been raised by Rs 5.00 per litre, while prices of kerosene oil and light diesel oil have been raised by Rs 3.50 per litre. The spokesman further said the government will continue to provide a subsidy of Rs 16.82 per litre on kerosene oil and Rs 15.30 per litre on light diesel oil, after the price increase. The price computation is carried out by OGRA in accordance with the formula prescribed by the Federal Government. It requires that the price be based on average Arab Gulf prices for the last fortnight for Naphtha, Diesel, Kerosene and HSFO, to which Inland Freight Equalisation Margin (IFEM) is added, which reflects estimated transportation cost of the products to the 29 depots in the country for the purpose of price equalisation. Government levies viz. petroleum development levy and sales tax are added to notified prices. Copyright Business Recorder, 2008

There will be considerable shortage of irrigation water supplies in Sindh due to lesser flows in the rivers of Pakistan and it has been decided to resort to intensive rotation flows from March 15. Sindh is getting only 20,400 cusecs in canals against accord share of 37,500 cusecs on 28.2.2008. Thus the shortage has reached to the extent of 45 percent, a spokesman of Irrigation and Power Department said on Thursday. The farmers, domestic consumers and all others using water from irrigation network in Sindh informed that with 45 percent shortage the situation is crucial and the department is taking following measures: (a) Drinking water for Karachi will be maintained. (b) Some flows for drinking purpose will be allowed in Fuleli and Pinyari Canals. (c) Supplies to Gudu Barrage Canals will be reduced to 1,250 cusecs being 50 percent shortage. (d) Supplies to Sukkur Barrage canals will be reduced to 15,000 cusecs being 50 percent shortage. (e) Supplies to Kotri Barrage canals will be enhanced to 3,000 cusecs to cater for drinking water requirements, which is 42 percent shortage. The spokesman said that in view of the situation, intensive rotation of canal flows will have to be enforced. The Chief Engineers/Managing Director SIDA have been directed to announce canal flows rotation programme according to the availability at each barrage/canal. This intensive rotation programme will be enforced from March 15 and department will made all efforts to arrange for judicious sharing of water and deliver due share to all the tails of the system and control water theft. Farmers and all others using Irrigation water have been advised to use available water carefully.-PR Copyright Business Recorder, 2008

Federal government will provide 200 bulldozers for Balochistan and 100 for NWFP, which would be hired out to the farmers at no profit no loss basis to facilitate them in reclaiming the cultivable wasteland. According to the sources in Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal), around 219,375 hectares of cultivable wasteland (NWFP 73,125 and Balochistan 146,250 hectares) would be reclaimed through the use of 300 bulldozers. This will enhance agricultural production in the NWFP and Balochistan provinces, sources said. According to an update Minfal study, about 8.12 million hectares of land falls in the category of cultivable wasteland out of which 1.22 and 4.0 million hectares are in NWFP and Balochistan respectively. Provincial Agriculture Engineering Departments need additional machinery and 900 bulldozers to reclaim the cultivable wasteland. Minfal sources mentioned that agricultural growth is key to curtailing poverty since poor heavily rely on agricultural goods and services for their livelihood. In line with the objectives of PRSP, Minfal has approved a number of projects for crop maximisation to reduce poverty and food insecurity in Pakistan in PSDP 2006-07. A number of projects assisted by ADB, FAO and UN/WFP for crop maximisation, increasing food security and promoting poverty alleviation are also under implementation. Sources said that government has given top priority to the development of water resources to maximise crop production. This has been done through progressively increasing surface water supplies and conserving water using the latest technologies and protecting land and infrastructure from water logging, salinity, floods and soil erosion. The main objectives are overcoming the scarcity of water through augmentation and conservation means ie by construction of medium and large dams and by efficient utilisation of irrigation water and restoring the productivity of agricultural land through control of water logging, salinity and floods, sources added. They said that an integrated programme approach for water management has been adopted. On-farm Water Management (OFWM) projects have been implemented on community participation basis in the provinces, AJ&K and Federal Agencies. Water conservation is being ensured under the President's programme for the improvement and lining of watercourses. This programme envisaged lining improvement of 87,000 watercourses at a cost of Rs 66 billion within 3-4 years. This initiative will significantly improve water supply at the farm-gate through reduction in the seepage losses. During the year 2006-07, 18,390 watercourses have been lined and renovated against the target of 18,000 watercourses. Minfal sources stated that the government has fulfilled most of the commitments related to different WTO-specific agreements. Pakistan has already started improving quality and standards of agricultural export commodity markets. Imposition of strict Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) measures and adoption of other significant regulatory steps through the Department of Plant Protection helped increase agricultural exports to the developed countries. Different development projects for the strengthening of laboratories for quality control have been initiated. For grading of agriculture and livestock commodities, grade standards of about 50 commodities, under Grading and Marketing Act, were developed. According to the Minfal study agriculture sector in Pakistan is facing many serious challenges and constraints for future growth. These challenges are embedded in (i) the rising demand for agricultural products with the growth of population and incomes; (ii) the expanding role of free and competitive markets in agriculture trade at the national and international levels. Increased farm productivity, achieved by sustainable use of natural resources and other inputs, and diversification of production from the low value to high value products in response to market demand have to be the key ingredients of future agriculture strategy to make agriculture both productive and profitable; (iii) wide yield gaps in major and minor crops, inefficient use of water at farms, poor quality and availability of agricultural inputs, frequent insect and pest attacks and high incidence of crop and livestock diseases require effective resolution; and (iv) strengthening of agriculture research system is needed to focus more on emerging areas such as biotechnology, genetic engineering, hybrid seeds etc. Improving agricultural knowledge system for effective crop forecasting, and undertaking market reforms in preparation of expanding trade regimes of WTO and Safta are other areas in which Minfal is currently focusing on. Copyright Business Recorder, 2008