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Sustainable
agriculture and fertilizer practices in Pakistan
Mohammad Ali Khaskheli
Agriculture Officer Sanghar
Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy. It has a
total area of 79.61 million hectare, and the total area used
for crop production is only 22 million ha. Of which about 18
million ha (80 percent) are irrigated. Pakistan agriculture
accounts for 24 percent of the growth domestic product (GDP),
employs 48 percent of the labour force and contributes about
60 percent to export earnings.
 Pakistan
is a developing country with the world's sixth-largest
population. The current population of Pakistan is about 160
million, which is growing at the rate of almost two percent
annually. The major population of the country (67 percent)
lives in rural areas and depends mainly on agriculture, and
about 32 percent of the population lives below the poverty
level. GDP growth continues to depend on crop performance.
The total food production in Pakistan is about 25 million
tones in 2002/03 as compared to 10 million tones in 1970/71.
However it is interesting to state that the consumption of
fertilizer per hectare in Pakistan (133 kg approx.) is higher
than the world average (94.1 kg/ha) but yield productions are
substantially lower. This indicates to a big gap between the
supply and demand of agricultural products, which is widening
day by day due to the increasing population of the country.
Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable productivity in our agricultural ecosystems is
therefore an important objective. Sustainable agriculture
depends on a whole-system approach whose overall goal is the
continuing health of the land and people. Therefore it
concentrates on long term solutions to problems instead of
short term treatment of symptoms.
There are several important constraints to sustainable
agriculture and causing low productivity. They include soil
degradation (soil salinity, alkalinity, erosion and soil
fertility depletion), depletion of water resources,
mismanagement of irrigation systems, the distribution of the
land holdings and poor farming practices.
The use of farm inputs, particularly of fertilizers, is
inadequate and inefficient. Farm energy use is low. The
availability of quality seed is limited. Agricultural research
is lagging behind the new challenges. Agricultural extension
services are not tuned to modern technology.
The flow of information from research to farmers is
inadequate. Coordination between policy, research, extension
and farmers could be improved. Disbursement of agricultural
credit amounts to over Rs.50 billion per annum, but is less
than the requirements and is not reaching small farmers.
An inadequate marketing infrastructure results in high
marketing costs and losses. The fertilizer recommendations are
too general. Soil testing laboratories are not adequately
equipped in terms of manpower and equipment. As a result, the
majority of the farmers become resource-poor and can not get
benefit and therefore, our crop yields are one of the lowest
in the world.
Declining land productivity with reduced crop yields has been
also a major problem facing our farmers. The major factors
contributing to the reduced land productivity is soil
impoverishment caused by continuous cropping without addition
of adequate mineral fertilizers and manures. Moreover,
negative soil nutrient balances (nutrient removal exceeding
nutrient application) during our cropping history have
resulted in general deterioration of fertility levels.
Sustained, high yield agricultural production can be assured
once these negative balances are addressed. Crop fertilization
is the main tool available.
Fertilizer has played a key role in helping farmers achieve
their high level of production. Fertilizers provide essential
plant nutrients which are indispensable for producing
sufficient and healthy food for the world’s expanding
population. Plant nutrients are therefore a vital component of
any system of sustainable agriculture. Nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), and in recent years, zinc, boron and sulfur
are the nutrients of most concern in the grain-production
regions. Unfortunately our soils are deficient in Nitrogen
(100 %), Phosphorus (90%), Zinc (70%) and Boron (55%).
Potassium (K) is generally adequate but its deficiency is
emerging rapidly. Deficiencies and responses to other
nutrients such as iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), and other
micronutrients are reported for specific crops and areas. When
the soil cannot supply the level of nutrient required for
adequate growth, supplemental fertilizer applications become
necessary.
Prior to the introduction of fertilizes in Pakistan in the
early1950s, the use of fertilizers have increased
significantly. Total consumption of nutrients in Pakistan has
increased from 5 kg/ha in 1966-67 to 133 kg/ha in 2001-2002.
However, it is still much lower when compared with other
countries of the world and highly unbalanced to produce enough
and quality food to meet the country demand. The crop yields
in countries using higher fertilizer rates (e.g. Korea, Japan
China, Egypt etc) are two to three times more than Pakistan.
One of the factors responsible for stagnating yields and
decreasing fertilizer use efficiency is the current unbalanced
fertilizer use. Nutrient balances for many cropping systems
are negative. The nitrogen and phosphorus are the most
limiting nutrients to crop production but their sufficient use
by majority of the smallholder farmers become limiting due to
their high costs. Indeed a substantial number of farmers do
not use fertilizers and the ones who use fertilizers apply
below the recommended rates.
In Pakistan various types of fertilizers are used, some are
locally manufactured and others are imported. In our country,
most of the fertilizer is used on irrigated wheat, cotton,
sugarcane and rice crops. On these crops the nitrogen
application rate is close to 75-80 percent of the
recommendations, compared with about 20-40 percent, depending
on the crop, in the case of phosphate. Hardly 1-2 percent of
farmers apply potash; that is usually applied to fruit,
vegetable, and sugarcane crops only. Micronutrient
deficiencies are common but less than five percent of the
farmers apply micronutrient fertilizers.
There are several problems which are impeding the balance and
efficient use of fertilizers. These are commonly
non-availability of specific fertilizers at right time,
ever-increasing prices, improper application methods and time,
lack of knowledge among farmers about the need for balanced
fertilizer applications, adulteration and inadequate grant of
soft loans especially for the small farmers, costituting 75
per cent of our farming community.
The increase of fertilizer use efficiency is also related to
ensuring the fertilizer quality. At present, apart from some
macro fertilizers produced industrially, there are several
mixed macro and micronutrient fertilizers, foliar fertilizers,
plant growth stimulants which are not controlled by the
government. They are circulated with of fertilizer arbitration
organizations, therefore the farmers are always suffering from
losses once having bought the adulterated or low-quality
fertilizers, and the legitimate fertilizer producers and
traders suffer from losses and risks.
Balanced fertilization
Balanced fertilization is one of the most important tools to
achieve maximum crop yield. Balanced fertilization can be
defined as the rational use of fertilizers and manures for
optimum supply of all essential nutrients for maximum crop
yield which simultaneously ensures efficiency of fertilizer
use promotes synergistic interactions and keeps antagonistic
interactions out of the crop production system. Fertilizers
are not cheap and therefore, it is essential that they should
be efficiently and effectively used to produce maximum
increase in crop yields so that farmers receive the best
possible outputs from their expenses.
Balanced fertilization does not mean a certain definite
proportion of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash or other
nutrients to be added in the form of fertilizer, but it has to
take into account the availability of nutrients already
present in the soil, crop requirement and other factors. It
should take into account the crop removal of nutrients, the
economics of fertilizers and profitability, farmers’ ability
to invest, agro-techniques, soil moisture regime, weed
control, plant protection, seed rate, sowing time, soil
salinity, alkalinity, physical environment, microbiological
condition of the soil, cropping sequence, etc. It is not a
state but a dynamic concept.
Balance fertilization is invariably the practice, which enable
the farmers to approach practically realizable yield
potentials in a cost effective and sustainable manner.
Balanced fertilization enhances crop yield, crop quality and
farm income; corrects soil nutrient deficiencies, and
maintains soil fertility. Several field trials on balance
fertilization have proved the yield improvement by 50-100 per
cent.
According to a (NFDC; 1999) report, balanced use of
fertilizers increased the yields of wheat by 77%, sugarcane
100%, rice 25-100% and cotton by 400%. To reap the benefits of
balanced use of fertilizers, our farmers must implement the
five key practices (a) apply only those nutrients that will
result in economic yield increases (b) apply appropriate
nutrient rates (c) apply appropriate sources of fertilizer
nutrients (d) apply nutrients at appropriate timing (e) apply
using the most effective and practical application techniques.
A balanced fertilization strategy is the only way to ensure a
sustainable agriculture that can provide the world population
with high quality food while minimizing the impact on the
environment. All available knowledge about the crop and the
environment where it will be grown must be combined to set up
the right combination of nutrients to be applied at each step
of the fertilization program.
Suggestions
Among the programs of Ministry of Agriculture, the program of
agricultural extension on fertilizers is considered a central
one aiming at increasing fertilizer use efficiency, crop yield
and agricultural product quality, stabilizing and enhancing
the soil fertility.
But unfortunately, due to different reasons, due attention was
not paid to this program. However, the following suggestions
would be fruitful in promoting the balance use and proper
management of fertilizers and increasing crop yields and soil
fertility.
• Setting up a united network of agricultural extension on
fertilizers with the participation of research institutes,
agricultural universities, scientific associations and
non-governmental organizations, fertilizer producing and
trading companies.
• Surveying the current status of fertilizer use of farmers in
all key agricultural areas in the whole country. The surveyed
data will be processed to find out the advantages and
shortcoming in fertilizer use for some main crops.
• Surveying the current status and capacity of fertilizer
supply and service of governmental organizations, collective
and private organizations, evaluating the supply capacity and
requirement of each fertilizer kind at localities according to
short- term and medium -term plants.
• Setting up the network of stable and long-term field
experiment on some soil types for some crops in all
agro-ecological zones in the whole country in order to exactly
assess the nutrient supplying capacity of soils, factors
limiting the fertilizer use efficiency (soils, climate and
weather, management level, intellectual standard of the
people...), direct and residual efficiency of main fertilizer
to serve as a basis for establishing the formulae of
reasonable fertilization.
• Setting up a network of field experiments to assess the
environmental impacts of fertilizers, especially the impacts
of fertilizers on soil fertility and agricultural product
quality, besides, through this research system identifying the
relationship between fertilizers and IPM.
• Organizing the training courses to provide the local
extension workers with new knowledge and update new knowledge
for them.
• Organizing the training for farmers on the role of each
nutrient, symptoms of nutrient shortage and method of
reasonable and efficient fertilizer through the farmer’s field
schools using the most simple and effective methods.
• Organizing the information and propaganda on fertilizer use
guides as well as introduction of new fertilizer through
mass-media.
• Printing the fertilizer use guides. In the short term, apart
from specific information, a new issue of agricultural
extension on fertilizers can be carried out at the periodical
of Pakistan Soil Science Society or the periodical of
Department of Agriculture extension.
• Working out the regulations on fertilizer quality control
aiming at preparing the fertilizer legislation.
• Carrying out the activities of cooperation on agricultural
extension on fertilizers with in-country and foreign
organizations as well as testing the efficiency of new
fertilizers manufactured by in-country as well as foreign
companies.
• Establishing the technical support fund to help the
enthusiastic farmers having difficulties to form the key
farmer class at the grassroots units.
• Developing the long-term human resource development program
to improve qualifications of researchers and extension workers
to PhD level and also provide for short-term trainings to
equip them with knowledge and skills in important areas.
Besides, career structure and incentive framework may be
introduced to reward quality research and extension work.
Expected Outputs/Benefits
• The farmers provided with basis knowledge of fertilizer:
Kind, composition, properties, method of storage, fertilizer
use guide (not only for agricultural crops but also for forest
trees).
• Agricultural output increase due to increase in crop yield.
• Agricultural product value increase due to increase in
quality.
• Fertilizer cost for a product unit reduced, hard foreign
currencies economized due to reasonable fertilizer use.
• Balanced fertilization reduces the incidence of plant
diseases, such as red-leaf stem blight in cotton as found in
various provinces of China. Natural improvements in the
plant's ability to resist disease infections result in less
need for insecticides and fungicides, which lowers production
costs for farmers and reduces chances for negative
environmental impact.
• Environmental pollution protected due to decrease in gaseous
nitrogen looses as well as nitrate loss by leaching.
• Soil fertility stabilized and enhanced.
In summary all embracing efforts should be made to educate
farmers to practice balanced use of fertilizers. Of late, some
fertilizer companies and associations have come forward to
educate the villagers, publication of literature in regional
languages related to balanced use of fertilizers for higher
crop yields in a sustainable way. The actual time has come;
the farmers, researchers and other related communities should
come forward and act in this respect.
The chemical fertilizers are very expensive therefore, should
be used judiciously and use manures along with chemical
fertilizers for improving the crop yield and soil productivity
in a sustainable way. Many more activities are being planned
to promote the balanced use of fertilizers. And it is hoped
that all these efforts would lead to desired awareness and as
a result balanced fertilizer use would become a reality in
near future.
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