Ahmed Khan Malik

The Balochistan government is working on a plan to introduce modern scientific techniques in the agriculture sector for enhanced yield.

"Modern farming methods are the best tool to enhance agricultural production, and the provincial government has decided to work on it," officials in the agriculture department told WealthPK. According to them, it was a part of the provincial government's efforts to improve the rural economy, of which agriculture was the key sector. Under the plan, modern farming techniques are being introduced by disseminating information to the farmers through awareness sessions, Director Agriculture Rajab Baloch told WealthPK. In order to get the farmers a good price for their crop, access of agricultural products to the markets is also being made easy by reducing the role of middleman, which often deprives the farmers of their due share of profit. He said standardized seeds, fertilizers and insecticides were also being provided.

Rajab said the provincial government had allocated Rs16.5 billion for improving the agriculture sector during the current fiscal, which had been raised by 36pc higher than the budgetary allocations for the previous financial year. Noor Muhammad Kasi, Consultant Agriculture, told WealthPK that the provincial government was helping the communities and individual farmers to increase production, sales, and revenues for crops and livestock. He said the plan was introducing new technologies and practices, improved management approaches, new varieties of seeds and better livestock management as well as better water management techniques. To introduce these new approaches, the plan is to set up and train community organizations, farmers' marketing collectives, and mutual marketing organizations.

To help communities increase the value of their products, he noted that the project provided technical assistance to grade, package, and market products; connect farmers to the better-paying markets; and improve the buyer-supplier relationships.  The project is also working on increasing the participation of women in income-earning activities and is supporting the development of provincial agricultural policies and legal and regulatory frameworks for market-led and community-driven investments. Under the plan, over 17,000 needy farmers in 800 communities will be trained to increase crop and livestock production, improve marketing, promote effective and durable public-private sector partnerships to ensure the sustainable impact of project interventions; and improve the irrigation systems through rehabilitation of karez systems, land leveling, and pipe irrigation.

He said the project scope also included the introduction of new seed varieties and better production technologies with an emphasis on value addition and increased incomes and livestock production through training in management practices, as well as provision of various production inputs such as feed supplements and de-worming medication on a cost-sharing basis. In order to enable the farmers to get a better price for their produce, livestock Mandis (markets) will be introduced at the district level to help the farmers improve their bargaining and profits, he added.

Credit: INP-WealthPk