Agriculture revolution! -I
RAIS AHMAD KHAN
KARACHI (January 16 2008): Pakistan has shifted away from being a purely agricultural country to a mixed economy during the past 60 years, but still, a majority of the people depend on agricultural activities and products for a livelihood, either as a food staple, or raw material for industries.

Rapid industrialisation removed the focus on farming, so that gradually, from a food surplus country, we have turned into a major importer of wheat, and occasionally sugar, and even fibres for textiles.

Mechanisation and extensive use of fertilisers did improve yields, but the growing population outpaced the growth in agri-products. Therefore, some thoughts "out of the box" are necessary to remedy the situation.

In advanced countries, people are turning away from chemically treated produce, and demand organic foods in their purest forms. That means a total abstention from fruits, vegetables, corns or grains that have been raised using chemical fertilisers or pesticides. Even fish or crustaceans, caught from waters, contaminated by effluents or chemicals through rivers or sub-soil seepage, come in the prohibited category, which means loss of export opportunity for most of our fishing operations.

What is to be done in such a case? Genetically modified seeds or products automatically lose their appeal to the discerning consumers. So what is the alternative? Here is an attempt to provide some of the answers, to increase productivity without creating new problems.

a) Tissue culture:

Using the best and purest mother plants for 'micro-propagation in vitro' (tissue culture), they can be replicated with astounding results of purity (no mutations, no infestations, free from bacteria or other viral infections), increased and faster yields, and the option to produce "off-season" under controlled conditions.

This process will be most promising for fruits and flowers, to meet domestic and export demand. Initial costs are high, but laboratories set up in some key locations, as a joint venture of public and private sectors, can provide opportunities to benefit a large number of communities. The initial capital can be recouped with a huge margin of profit in a few months to a few years, depending on the varieties of desired products.

b) Drip irrigation:

Using pure or purified water in small quantities, huge savings can be made in the quantum of irrigation water needed, besides improving yields and protection from plant diseases or soil contamination.

c) Modern systems of enhancing yields:

In some highly industrialised countries where land is at a premium and farming activity very much limited, crops are raised in small spaces with phenomenal yields. For example in a tomato farm, under controlled conditions, up to 12,000 fruits have been harvested from a single plant, or 28 tonnes of potatoes per acre, or up to 20 watermelons (uniform in size and square in shape for use of packing and handling) per square-meter of farm-land!

These figures may sound incredible but have been proved and are being practically achieved in modern farming. The question of initial costs (including transfer of technology) is an inhibiting factor, beyond the reach of common farmers, but this can be solved by government grants for acquisition of technology, and co-operatives to run the farming operations.

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There are so many bright people out there that are bursting with idea's and want to contribute to Pakistan's development. What a pity that no one hears or cares about these people...

"Rapid industrialisation removed the focus on farming, so that gradually, from a food surplus country, we have turned into a major importer of wheat, and occasionally sugar, and even fibres for textiles."

How pitiful... A shortage of wheat, electricity and gas... What's next?

Who gives a crap what we think... Let's see what the ordinary people on the streets have to say:

Queuing for hours to buy bread for his family, Liaqat Ali dismisses the US-led "war on terror" as an election issue come crucial February 18 polls-for him it's all about flour.

On top of suicide bombings and Islamic militancy culminating in the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto last month, Pakistan is in the grip of a wheat shortage. In a country where the roti-a soft, flat, circular bread made from wheat flour-is the basis of almost all meals, the shortage can damage the government's credibility far more than any militant attack. "I don't care if the Taliban rules or someone else comes here, I'll be happy as long as we get roti to eat," said Ali, a 38-year-old father of five in Lahore who queued for flour for 13 hours only for the shop to run out.

"This government has brought a curse on us. Bomb blasts, strikes, unemployment, inflation and now they're snatching bread from us." Officials loyal to President Pervez Musharraf have tried to play down the wheat crisis, but every day-when suicide bombings don't grab the headlines-Pakistani media carry images of desperate people queuing for bread.

Like a form of Chinese water torture on the psyche of an already traumatised and downtrodden nation, analysts said it could play a decisive role on election day. "The wheat shortage occurred because the government ignored domestic consumption of 22 million tons per annum," Khaleeq Arshad, a senior member of the All Pakistan Flour Mills Association, told AFP. Arshad, who owns his own mill in Lahore, said the government exaggerated the yield of last year's "bumper crop." It then compounded the problem by allowing the export of 1.6 million tonnes of wheat, against a target of just 500,000 tons, he said. The result was a handsome economic windfall for some, and seething frustration for millions of ordinary Pakistanis. "The prices have doubled and now the most basic food item is available only at exorbitant prices-it's a disgrace," said 30-year-old school teacher Sakina Batool.

"I don't know how they claim credit for fighting the Taliban and Al-Qaeda when they're killing their own people through starvation." Labourer Mazhar Khurshid, 42, said he earned Rs80 ($1.25) a day and the price of roti had doubled in his area of Islamabad to eight rupees a piece in just the past month. "I have a family of seven to feed and it's not every day I get employment. We were already living on the edge," he said. "I will never vote for anyone even remotely connected to this government," he added. Lawyer Omar Irshad said the party backing Musharraf would be hard-hit by the wheat crisis, as well as worsening shortages in electricity and gas.

"The shortage of wheat, electricity and gas will boomerang on their faces," he said. "We claim to be an agrarian country and yet we're told we don't have flour-somebody will pay dearly for this." Political analyst Hasan Askari, former head of political science at Punjab university, said the opposition could use the crisis to hurt the government at the polls. "If the opposition parties articulate this grievance they can cause havoc to the pro-Musharraf political party."

the government is inundated with crises, its time for fresh faces, I fear however the PPP may gain from this, and who benefits? Mr Zardari probably the most dishonourable man in the country.

PPP is not fresh, and Zardari is rotten...when you say "fresh faces", we're looking at something like a reincarnation of the founding Pakistan government.

I think Imran Khan would do what needs to be done. Meritocracy is what is lacking in Pakistan, when we have that, everything else will eventually fall into place.

For the most part, meritocracy is very much lacking in this world, let alone just Pakistan.