Excessive use of pesticides harm agri-production

[S.Annadana]

ISLAMABAD, Apr 28 (APP): Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides are harmful for the crops and would lead to decrease in production.

This was stated by Dr. Kausar Abdullah Malik, Member Planning Commission and Ex-Chairman Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) while speaking at the concluding ceremony of the five-day International Training course on organic farming.

The event was jointly organized by the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), Asian Productivity Organization (APO) and National Productivity Organization (NPO) Pakistan.

Dr. Kausar Abdullah said that organic farming was a focused activity in the world which is environmentally responsible approach to produce high-quality food and fiber.

He apprised that Pakistan imported pesticides five times more than to that of during last year to control cotton pests for increasing production, however,he added that production gone down due to excessive use of pesticide.

“We can grow organic cotton which has a demanding and expanding market,” adding that organic farming needs certification to access the international markets for which the certified institutions have to play their effective role to develop organic farming in the country, he said.

Dr. Kausar said that organic farming makes up the largest growth sector in the agriculture industry and attracts a rich market adding that organic food sales totaled approximately $ 12 billion in 2005.

Despite significant growth in the organic food sector, research has to play an important role to keep pace with ongoing activities in the field or organic farming in the world, he added.

Dr. Kausar Abdullah said that availability of credit support and other incentives for farmers to help the sector grow rapidly.

Dr. Muhammad Saeed, program Officer, APO, Japan said that we need to establish or strengthen our existing institutions in organic farming and certification by training their manpower.

He appreciated the role of PARC for arranging training in Pakistan and asked the scientists to disseminate information to the end users which they got from the 5-day International Training course.

Training course was attended by members of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) which includes Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia.