LAHORE– Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) has urged the government to adopt Eco-farming model of China for increasing agricultural yields to avert the growing food crisis.
Introducing the Chinese Cultivation Model of “Eco-Farming” at PCJCCI think-tank session on Friday, federation’s president Zarak Khan emphasized to get benefit of Chinese friendship also in the field of agriculture.
Moazzam Ghurki, Senior Vice President, Mr. Salahuddin Hanif, Secretary General and a number of the Executive Committee Members of PCJCCI also attended the session.
President PCJCCI said, Chinese cultivation model involved usage of hybrid seeds, better water management, increased role of government for ensuring effective safety and support mechanisms such as making a reservoir of food grain and also public-private partnerships to overcome the future food crisis.
He said, Chinaaccounting for only 10 percent of arable land, produces food for 20 percent of the world’s population and it ranks first in worldwide farm output.
“It is because they have devised different techniques to increase the yield of crops just by making use of nature, and such farming is termed as, “Eco-Farming”, he said and hoped that implementation of Chinese model of farm mechanization practices in Pakistan would help overcome the expected food crisis.
Mr. Zarak Khan, President PCJCCI informed that China was the largest producer of rice with per hectare yield of 0.6 ton and it produces 1.2 ton per hectare rice, which is twice that of Pakistan.
Pakistan’s sugarcane production is 53.4 ton per hectare whereas China obtains a yield of 66.7 ton per hectare sugarcane through its cultivation techniques, Therefore, Chinese cultivation pattern is the best model to be implemented on the land of Pakistan to increase agriculture yields, he asserted.
President PCJCCI further said, Chinese Model of Eco-Farming ensures healthy farming and healthy food for today and tomorrow by protecting soil, water and climate; promotes bio-diversity and does not contaminate the environment with chemical inputs or genetic engineering.
Mr. Moazzam Ghurki, Senior Vice President PCJCCI, while explaining the environment friendly techniques used by China for effective farming, he quoted the example of increasing yield of rice through methods such as Rice duck farming, in which ducks are raised on rice paddies and feed on pests and weeds, which means the farmer doesn’t have to use earth and water-ravaging chemical pesticides and herbicides on their plants.
He informed that Duck droppings are also an excellent, natural fertilizer for rice plants. Similarly, growing two or more crops in proximity helps reduce disease outbreaks, he added.
Highlighting the severity of food crises issue, Mr. Salahuddin Hanif, Secretary General PCJCCI said that, the price of food items such as vegetables, chicken and meat had increased by more than 25 percent just in one month, which has further made the half of the population of country food insecure.
It is stated that 50 percent of the population is taking less calories recognized for average human need, he said adding that the current crisis, would worsen if the government fails to come up with an informed policy and decisions.
In this situation, the government should allocate land to locals in association with Chinese to obtain farm productivity on the same pattern as Chinese are doing, he suggested and urged to introduce corporate farming trends to compensate rising inflation and high input prices in the field of Agriculture in the country.— PRESS RELEASE
