Pakistan will lag behind in the race of economic development without developing new technologies and adopting them on large scale to fully exploit the natural resources.
This was stated by the Punjab Agricultural Research Board (PARB) Chief Executive Dr Mubarik Ali while inaugurating the Farmers' Field Day in relation to PARB's project "Evaluation of phosphoric acid (52% P2O5) as an alternative to commercial phosphate fertilisers and enhancing its efficiency for higher crop productivity" at Nuclear Institute of Agriculture & Biotechnology (NIAB).
He emphasised that the dream of economic development in Pakistan could only come true through adoption of innovative technologies. He apprised the audience that PARB was funding 53 research projects in which the scientists were working to find tangible solutions to problems being faced by agriculture sector of Pakistan.
He claimed that according to the objectives set under these projects, it would become possible to achieve good yields of crops even with low inputs and under stress conditions. Dr Mubarik stressed upon the scientists, particularly young researchers to utilise their laboratories with devotion to develop new technologies for the development of agriculture so that the farmers could adopt them for making the country prosperous.
He appreciated the involvement of private sector in the production of phosphoric acid on commercial scale. "This would help to expand the technology envisaged at later stages of the ongoing PARB funded project at NIAB" he added.
Dr Mubarik also visited the experimental field and appreciated the work progress based on better performance of phosphoric acid as phosphorus source. On this occasion, Dr M Akhtar, Project Manager and Dr Javed Akhtar, Director NIAB told the participants about the present price hike in phosphorus fertilisers that had resulted in their low applications and thus drastic reduction in crop yields. This was need of the day to find phosphorus fertilisers, which were cheaper and efficient than the commercial fertilisers.
NIAB scientists are presently working on finding new cheaper phosphorus fertilisers and appropriate methods of their application. It has been observed that phosphoric acid is a better alternative to the commercial phosphorus fertilisers.
In view of the encouraging results of the previous experiments conducted at NIAB, PARB has funded a project to evaluate phosphoric acid thoroughly for the production of wheat, rice and maize. For improving efficiency of phosphoric acid by placement (two inches below seed), special seed sowing drills cum liquid fertiliser applicators for wheat and maize have been developed by the Agricultural Mechanization Research Institute (AMRI), Faisalabad and are being tested in the field. Farmers from districts of Faisalabad and Toba Taik Singh and delegates from private sector, Sitara Chemical Industries, Fauji Fertiliser Company and NIAB scientists participated in the activity.