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Urea, DAP much costlier
in Pakistan
The Pakistani farmers are paying more for
fertilizers in the region as prices of urea and DAP are much higher
in the country compared to the prices of neighbouring countries
including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and also
against international market.
January 2011
Grappling with devolved
responsibility
The devolved functions of the federal
agriculture ministry have increased the responsibilities of the
provinces and they are trying to come to grips with their cash and
capacity constraints.
January 2011
Debate on imported Bt
cotton seed
The farming community of southern Punjab
gave a mixed reaction to a Punjab government’s decision to drop a
proposal of introducing certified imported seed of Bt cotton in
collaboration with Monsanto.
January 2011
Policy risks to
agriculture
If farmers’ fears are to go by, the new year
might not be any different for agriculture from the last one. They
think that this year too, the terms of trade would be unfavourable
for them, international recession would keep commodity prices down
and an ever-expanding domestic tax regime would keep the cost of
production high.
January 2011
Pakistan to challenge UN
decision in world court
Pakistan has decided to challenge in the
international court of arbitration a decision of the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to grant carbon credits to
India on a controversial hydropower project without mandatory
clearance of its trans-boundary environmental impact assessment.
January 2011
Rs 225b payment to cane
growers on stake
The payment of Rs 225 billion to the
sugarcane growers by the millers is now on stake, as the federal
government is neither purchasing the surplus sugar stock nor it is
allowing the manufacturers to export it, enabling them to make
in-time payment to the farmers.
December 2011
Raw sugar premiums slip;
rising supply weighs
Thai raw sugar premiums for prompt delivery
ticked lower on Tuesday and are likely to fall further next week as
supplies rise, not only in Asia but elsewhere in the world, dealers
said on Tuesday.
December 2011
Now It’s official that
Bt.cotton failed 12 million hectors in India
As per recent admission of Dr C.D. Mayee,
President of Indian Society for Cotton Improvement who was
instrumental in giving blanket permission for commercial trials of
genetically modified (GM) Bt.cotton seed notoriously known as killer
seed in part of cotton growing region of India...
December 2011
Power bills with hefty
arrears upset govt, farmers
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and
farmers have accumulated over Rs400 million arrears as the Peshawar
Electric Supply Company (Pesco) charged their tubewells less tariff
over the last few years than the one approved in February 2007.
November 2011
Textile exports fall
14pc
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s textile and clothing
exports witnessed a decline of 14 per cent in October this year over
the same month last year, sending fears to policy-makers that
shrinking export proceeds in the sector may result in layoffs.
November 2011
Defunct development of
Pakistan
Pakistan's development process is
non-performing. It is non-performing as it has taken on policy
situations which were both obsolete and time had overtaken these or
these were the outcome of some hybrid policies brought in by
expatriates that had lobbied through such international agencies as
the WB/IMF and or the ADB.
November 2011
Proposed MFN status to
India: Ginners express reservation
The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA)
leadership expressed its reservations on granting the status of
'most favoured nation' to India, describing it detrimental to
Pakistan's cotton growers and ginners and said that the Parliament
should reject this decision of the Cabinet because it would ruin the
industry.
November 2011
Hard times for cane
growers
A SIGNIFICANT drop in sugarcane sowing is
feared this season as vast cane-producing areas remain inundated in
rainwater.
October 2011
Improving supply chain
for farm products
ULTIMATELY, there is some good news for
farmers as Punjab wakes up to its agriculture export potential and
to sensitivities of international buyers.
October 2011
Sowing of Rabi crop
delayed
THE ‘early Rabi crop’ season has started
while the rainwater in inundated fields in Dadu district has not
been drained out, keeping the growers worried about when and how to
cultivate wheat, vegetables and other seasonable crops.
October 2011
Setting price
for new tobacco crop
THE Pakistan Tobacco Board has initiated
consultations with farmers to determine the cost of tobacco
production and its procurement prices for the upcoming year.
October 2011
Cotton prices rise by
Rs100
Trading on the cotton market on Monday
resumed on a firm note as prices were quoted further higher by Rs100
per maund in the ready section.
October 2011
Sliding cotton prices
The cotton prices need some kind of support
to stabilise. With the momentum in crop arrival in the market, its
price, following the international trend, has started sliding.
Aug 2011
Surge in edible oil
imports
THE consumption of palm oil increased 14 per
cent to over 1.9 million tonnes during July-June 2010-11, pushing up
its import bill by 53 per cent to $2 billion.
Aug 2011
Gas
loadshedding, rising urea prices
THE urea crisis, which has gripped the
country since November, is fast assuming a disastrous
proportion, mainly due to the federal government’s quiet
reversal of the national policy for allocation of ga.
Aug 2011
Improving farm
extension services
A highly minute per cent of farmers in
Khyber Pukhtunkhwa use modern technology when it comes to
agriculture. ONLY about 20 per cent of farmers in Khyber
Pukhtunkhwa use modern technology in agriculture.
Aug 2011
Growing Water Deficit
Threatening Grain Harvests
Many countries are facing dangerous water
shortages. As world demand for food has soared, millions of farmers
have drilled too many irrigation wells in efforts to expand their
harvests. As a result, water tables are falling and wells are going
dry in some 20 countries containing half the world's people.
July 2011
Self-assessment
for farm income tax
THE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is working
on a scheme to introduce a self-assessment for agriculture
income taxpayers to widen the tax base and improve
provincial revenue.
July 2011
The increasing
food prices
THE latest UN warning that the world food
prices, including cereals, are inching towards a new record
must be a cause of concern for Pakistan, where millions are
surviving on the edge and cannot afford further financial
burden.
July 2011
Pause in oil
palm plantation
THE fate of oil palm plantation project in
the coastal areas of Sindh has become uncertain in the
backdrop of conflicting views of the provincial government
officials over the status of Pakistan Oilseed Development
Board after its devolution.
July 2011
Sindh’s depleting fish
resource
Fish experts also complain that rapidly
declining mangroves in the coastal areas is another cause of fall in
fish production.
July 2011
Snags in
commercialisation of livestock sector
THE livestock sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
despite having great potential for poverty alleviation, has
not developed on commercial lines because of paucity of
funds, capacity and technology constraints.
July 2011
Depressed onion
prices in Swat
THE onion farmers in Swat are not getting
reasonable returns for their crop due to absence of a modern
market system in the province. Despite a bumper onion crop
this year, they have not fully benefited from the harvest.
July 2011
Trial shipment
of mango to Europe
THE first-ever trial shipment of mango for
high-end super markets of Europe dispatched directly from
two orchards in Sindh is indeed a pioneering effort. Eight
such shipments are taking place from all over the country.
July 2011
Credit-starved farm and
agro industries
THE government should focus on development
of agro industries in the rural areas for boosting export of
processed food products, says the president of the Islamabad Chamber
of Commerce and Industry.
July 2011
Punjab’s sinking
farm economy
Agriculture in Punjab has underperformed
over the last three years. Cotton production has fallen 10
per cent, rice 6.7, gram 30 and pulses by 24 per cent.
July 2011
Paddy growers’
worries
PREPARATIONS for rice cultivation in Sindh
are underway amidst fears that flood-ravaged canal network —
recently repaired by the irrigation authorities — will not
be able to carry water to their farms.
July 2011
Taxes on farm inputs
pinch small growers
THE levy of general sales tax and withdrawal
of subsidies as part of next year`s budget has not gone down well
with farmers.
June 2011
Trials of
genetically modified corn
AFTER nearly succeeding in the case of Bt
cotton, the US multinational Monsanto is now lobbying for
introduction of genetically modified corn in Pakistan and
has convinced the government to have field trials of its
crop.
June 2011
Food security
risks in devolution
PAKISTAN may soon be the only country that
would not have any federal agency to deal with food security
issues, unlike other states in the world.
June 2011
Status quo approach in
agri development
IF the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz wants
self-reliance, doing away with foreign aid and loans, it is natural
for everyone to expect its next budget in Punjab — where the party
rules — to reflect that commitment.
June 2011
Kharif sowing
hit by water shortage
KHARIF crops sowing in lower Sindh region,
mainly fed by Nara canal system, may be hit by water
shortage, while growers’ complaints also abound in different
areas of Sukkur barrage. The shortage has forced growers to
come out on roads.
June 2011
Livestock through
Islamic Microfinance
According to the observation, mostly, at
Islamic Microfinance Sector level, it is being practiced with the
conventional structures. If there is any will to do can feel for
Islamic Microfinance, the lake of proper systems and unavailability
of skilled staff are the hurdles.
May 2011
Time to tax farm
incomes
THE call for effectively taxing big farm
incomes has gathered momentum in the recent years as the
country strives to close the widening gap between its
falling revenues and growing expenditure.
May 2011
Need to set
minimum rice export price
RICE export figures for the first 10 months
of the current fiscal year do not appear as impressive when
seen in the context of higher international price as
compared to last year.
May 2011
Middlemen`s
intrusion in wheat procurement
WHEAT procurement drive is in full swing in
Sindh. A visit to most of the procurement centres, set up by
the government at accessible locations to facilitate grower,
shows that premises are now abuzz with business activity.
May 2011
Falling wheat prices in the market
CONFLICTING reports about political crisis and falling prices of wheat dominated trading on the Karachi wholesale commodity markets during the preceding week and according to some dealers, this also affected the activity on some other counters.
May 2011
Monitoring the seed market
THE need to bring some regulation in cotton seed market seems to be increasing by the day. The chaos that rules the market surfaced in a recent meeting of the Expert Committee on Cotton of the Punjab government, which noted that some 41 traditional seed varieties, some of them of questionable quality, provide business to over 600 companies.
May 2011
Policy risks to
cotton crop
THE second, and indefinite, postponement of
the meeting of Federal Committee on Agriculture in the last
week of April leaves many bewildered, especially when it
comes to the planning for cotton crop.
May 2011
Snags in
boosting date exports
DATE producers expect a fairly good crop in
Sindh this season, but fear post-harvest losses because of
lack of proper drying, processing and storage facilities.
May 2011
Improving
farmer-govt nexus
THE next year`s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa budget
will mount efforts to facilitate farmers hit by floods and
militancy to revive and develop the agricultural economy.
May 2011
Dip in wheat
prices
WHEAT harvesting is gaining momentum in
Punjab, espec- ially in the southern part. According to
official estimates, nearly 40 per cent of harvesting in
these areas has been completed.
Mayl 2011
Difficult access
to certified seeds
KHARIF season has started in lower Sindh and
cotton sowing is under way in the left bank areas wherever
wheat has been harvested. Upper Sindh growers on the right
bank of Indus, who mostly grow rice.
May 2011
Ensuring fair
price for farm produce
“RATHER than bringing my tomatoes to this
far away market to sell it at a price which even cannot
cover the transportation expenses, I better destroy the crop
in the field,” said a farmer who had brought the commodity
from Sindh to the vegetable market in Mardan.
April
2011
Linking growers
with corporate buyers
At the closing of last year’s procurement,
the Food Department stocked a quantity of 6.6 million metric
ton (MMT) of wheat in July, 2010.
April 2011
Nation’s food
security at risk?
Food and other essentials for the local
consumer first. ILLUSTRATION: S.JAMAL. While the country is
going through its biggest financial crises led by cost push
inflation our business indices reflect that the country is
doing better than last years in all its sectors.
April 2011
Export operation
2010-11 by Punjab Food Department
At the closing of last year’s procurement,
the Food Department stocked a quantity of 6.6 million metric
ton (MMT) of wheat in July, 2010.
April 2011
Kick starting
Diamer-Bhasha project
THE ground-breaking ceremony of
Diamer-Bhasha project is scheduled for next month while a
sum of Rs15 billion has been earmarked this year to finance
dam`s pre-construction related activities.
April 2011
Off-channel
reservoirs for flood control
A NEW flood season is on hand but the
country is not yet out of the disastrous impacts of floods
of 2010. With the ongoing climatic changes and the poor
record of flood protection measures, such a calamity may
become a norm instead of an occasional happening.
April 2011
Food security
concerns
THE food prices index around the world has
surged to a new height compelling a few countries of North
Africa and the Middle East to store wheat and rice in bulk.
April 2011
Mango crop
outlook
THE weather condition does not seem
favourable for mango production in Sindh this season as
reports indicate that proper fruit flowering and setting has
not taken place yet.
April 2011
Punjab’s wheat
procurement drive
AGAINST all earlier fears, signs for a
smooth drive for wheat procurement are emerging in Punjab,
and emerging fast.
April 2011
Surplus food,
not to eat
ACCOUNTING for more than a 40 per cent share
in the consumer price index, the higher food prices have
driven the overall inflation for quite some time to the
detriment of the people despite a tight monetary policy.
March 2011
Sindh facing
paddy seed shortage
FEARS are being expressed that availability
of quality paddy seed will be a problem for rice producers
in the upper Sindh region in the coming kharif season.
During last year’s devastating floods rice growers not only
lost their paddy crop but also the quality local seed which
they had stored for the next season.
March 2011
Costly food,
supply concerns prompt Asian grains buying
Asian buyers are snapping up more rice and
cheap Australian wheat to boost food and feedstock security
in the face of record high prices that policymakers fear
could stoke popular discontent and damage their economies.
Feb 2011
0.320m animals exported
The Senate was informed on Friday that as
many as 3,20,489 animals were exported to different
countries under the commercial export of live animals
through open policy since May, 2009.
Feb 2011
Agriculture and Technology
Belated decision on wheat export
TAFTER months of foot dragging on the issue,
the federal government finally this week allowed export of
one million tons of wheat and its products.
Feb 2011
Agriculture and Technology
Belated decision on wheat export
TAFTER months of foot dragging on the issue,
the federal government finally this week allowed export of
one million tons of wheat and its products.
Jan 2011
Cotton production crosses 12mn bales
Besides sporadic use of BT cotton seeds this season, the
crop remained free from all diseases and no worth mentioning
pest attack was reported from Sindh and the Punjab, said
cotton analysts.
December
2010
Grain storages for food
security
IN the absence of planning for maximisation
of crops and low spending of allocated funds for
construction of modern storage facilities, Sindh faces a
threat of becoming a food insecure province.
November
2009
Pricing of sugarcane and
sugar
THE Agricultural Prices Commission (APCom)
set up in 1981, was required to advice the government on the
support price of about half a dozen important crops like
wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane and oilseeds. In doing so,
the APCom had to consider about 15 different criteria.
November
2009
Flawed cane policy
THE Sindh government has again fixed
November 1 for mills to start sugarcane crushing that will
delay cane harvesting and wheat sowing.
October
2010
Cotton growers seek early
release of water
Pakistan can obtain at least one million
additional bales of cotton if government releases water in
perennial canals during the current month, according to
Pakistan Cotton Forum (PCF), a joint platform of growers,
ginners and spinners.
October
2010
Wheat sowing may be delayed
in Punjab
AS Punjab is focused on the cotton crop, and
justifiably so, wheat sowing in the province might get
delayed beyond prudent limits.
September
2010
Reviving KP?s agriculture
REHABILITATION of farmers and revival of
agriculture in the post-flood Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is likely
to be handicapped for want of enough funds. The
cash-strapped provincial government has neither received any
support from the centre nor has the international community
provided the required fund for the purpose.
Aug
2010
Sugar crisis brewing
The consequences of the shortage are
predicted to be harsh for both consumers and the government.
Soon we will find consumers either paying very high prices
for the sweetener or waiting for hours in long queues to buy
it in small quantities at subsidised rates.
July
2010
Problematic surplus wheat
A three-member committee of senior officials
has been assigned the task of drawing up a strategy to
utilise surplus wheat in the light of proposals received
from different stakeholders.
July
2010
Unaffordable fertiliser prices
THE prices of fertiliser have gone up in the market with the
arrival of Kharif season in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Growers
say that surge in prices of fertiliser, an important input
in farm production, has become unaffordable for small
cultivators.
June
2010
Managing timely export
PAKISTAN has become self-sufficient in wheat and is able to
export two million tons of the commodity. But the decision
to export from the existing stock has come at a time when
firm estimates about the size of current crop is yet to be
available and the official procurement drive to gain
momentum. It does not seem to be appropriate.
April
2010
Tractors’ sales surge to 26,816 units
About 200 vendors of the tractor manufacturing industry have
inducted 15-20 per cent new hands since June to meet the
surging production and sales of tractors and the robust
future demand.
December
2009
 Village
agricultural centre
FARM production can be increased by 80-100 per cent if
improved seeds, fertilisers, farm machinery, insecticides
and herbicides are available to farmers at reasonable price
together with interest-free loans in time.The price of
diesel and electricity rates may also be cut for
agricultural use..
December
2009
Sluggish pace of wheat sowing
ACCORDING to the official figures compiled
on November 7, the pace of wheat sowing this season in
Punjab is slower than last year in rain-fed areas. By that
date, the province had sown only 1.2 million acres – out of
which some 400,000 acres came from barani (rain-fed) areas.
November
2009
Fish exports up 21pc in value
during 9 months
Pakistan Seafood Industries Association says exports to
Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand have virtually
nullified the negative impact of EU ban. - Reuters photo
KARACHI: Fish exports increased by 21 per cent in value
during the nine months.
November
2009
Sunflower seeds give best nutritional quality
SUNFLOWER seeds are power-packed with
healthy fats, protein, fibre, minerals, vitamin E, and
phytochemicals - all important to the nutritional quality of
diet. While the vibrant, strong sunflower is a recognised
worldwide for its beauty, it is also an important source of
food.
November
2009
How a Biofuel 'Miracle' Ruined Kenyan Farmers
Everyone in Kibwezi, a village in southeastern Kenya parched
by four years of drought, remembers the promises. It all
started in 2000, when the government started preaching the
word about a plant called jatropha curcas.
October 2009
South Asia frets over high food prices
Ambika Biswas looks at her grocery bag and winces. She is
buying food for her family in one of New Delhi's cheapest
markets — yet her grocery costs are far higher than last
year.
September
2009
No land leased to Saudi Arabia yet: Waqar
Minister for Investment, Senator Waqar Ahmed Khan Monday said
Pakistan had not given land to Saudi Arabia or any other
country, however, the Gulf states were keen to acquire land
in the sub-continent for agriculture purposes due to growing
fear of food scarcity.
September
2009
Adequate supplies of sugar available: TCP
The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has sufficient sugar
stocks to meet Ramazan demand and has already issued orders
for release of 50,000 tons of sugar to Utility Stores
Corporation from its total stocks of 166,000 tons lying with
different mills throughout the country.
August
2009
Lower targets for cash crops
ARGETS for two cash crops - cotton and rice - have been fixed
at lessthan what the country achieved last year, leave alone
bumper andrecord yields of the past.This year, cotton target
has come down to 13.3 million bales againstlast season’s
production of 14.1 million bales.
July 2009
Kharif crops ? growers await support prices
NO support price for rice crop has been announced while the
Kharif season has entered its third month. I have planted
rice seedlings on just 20 out of my 45 acres. I am
indecisive whether or not to cultivate more rice this
season,? says Muhammad Arif Mahar, a rice grower in
Wazirabad, a village in Shikarpur district.
July 2009
Water shortage hurts
Pakistan’s rice exports
Pakistan exported about 2.9 million tonnes of rice in the
2008/09 financial year, down from 3.3 million tonnes the
previous year, and a possible water shortage has raised
concern for the new crop, an industry official said on
Wednesday.
July 2009
Sindh files complaint against
fertiliser firms
It has been stated in the complaint that at least two leading
fertiliser companies in Sindh pressurise buyers to purchase
a bag of DAP for four bags of urea.
June 2009
Vegetable and fruit exports
up in 11 months
Fruit and vegetable exports during July-May 2008-09, increased
by 6.55 per cent and 26.63 per cent, respectively.
June 2009
Damage to peach crop in Swat
likely
Thousands of tons of peach crop is feared to be wasted in the
Malakand division this season again as mass exodus of people
continues from the area after the launch of military
operation ‘Rah-i-Haq-II’ for flashing out Taliban.
May 2009
Storage issues may hit wheat
procurement
INADEQUATE grain storage capacity in the public sector
departments can cost the country greatly as a major chunk of
the procured wheat will be kept in the open or it will be at
the mercy of private warehouses.
May 2009
Small growers at the mercy of
middlemen
MIDDLEMEN are individuals/business concerns who perform
various marketing functions involved in the purchase and
sale of goods as these move from producers to consumers.
April 2009
Bt cotton in butcher’s hand
Agricultural use of genetically modified (GM) crops across the
world has increased almost seventy fold in the past ten
years and is set to double by 2015, says a study released by
The International Service for the Acquisition.
April 2009
•
As more genetically modified foods reach the U.S.
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