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the references are mentioned. I hope you make the best use of this hard work.
Wish you all Best of Luck!
VI.
VII.
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V.
Joint Family System: Joint family system is also a big problem in agricultural
sector. Our farmer is poor; on the other hand he has to support his big family. It
creates deficiency in saving and investment. A huge part of farmers
productivity is consumed at his own house.
iv. Illiteracy and Ill-health: Most of the farmers, labourers and tenants in our
country are illiterate. They are untrained and inefficient to boost up the
agricultural productivity. On the other side, the health of our farmers is
improper due to rural backwardness. Literacy rate is only 57.7 % in Pakistan.
Economic Survey of Pakistan shows that literacy remains higher in urban areas
(73.2 percent) than in rural areas (49.2 percent).
v. Political Instability: Political instability has affected development in all
economic and social sectors. Unfortunately, the political situations in Pakistan
are not stable. It creates unrest among the farmers to sell the productions to
various industries as a raw material. On the other hand, people hesitate to
invest in agricultural sector due to political unrest.
Issues: FINANCIAL PROBLEMS
i. Lack of Credit: Basically our farmer is poor and he has low level of income.
Agricultural credit facilities are not common in Pakistan. Credit that can
facilitate agriculture is not available easily. Moreover non-institutional sources
are available but these are not reliable due to high rate of interest. About
50.8% poor borrow from landlords in Pakistan.
ii. Poor Financial Position of Farmers: It is a common saying about our farmer
that he borns in debts, grows in debts and dies in debts. It means that financial
position of Pakistani farmer is weak and poor. According to Pakistan Human
Development Report 2003 about 57.4% poor are working for feudal-lords
without wages.
iii. Instability in Market Prices: The price market of agricultural goods
generally remains unstable in the country. Cobweb theorem is very popular in
case of market prices; it means that a price of one commodity is much high in
this year and much low in the next year and vice versa. The farmers, do not
get due reward from the sale of their productions. So, they remain unsatisfied.
iv. Shortage of Agricultural Finance: Agricultural credit facilities are not
sufficient in Pakistan. Rate of interest on agricultural credit is high and loan is
not provided in time. According to Pakistan Human Development Report
2003 in Pakistan about 50.8% poor borrow from landlords at very high rate of
interest.
Strategies for improvement:
i. Government policies for Short term and long term:
ii. Supply of Agriculture Credit: Poor farmers cannot afford the expensive
technology from their own resources in Pakistan. So, supply of agriculture
credit at easy terms and conditions is very necessary. An amount of Rs. 85,177
million is disbursed by commercial banks in 2009 and Rs. 49 billion was
distributed by ZTBL. ZTBL issued credit or Rs. 37.4 billions during 2010-11.
iii. Water Logging and Salinity Control: Water logging and salinity destroys
about one million acre of land every year in Punjab and Sindh. It reduces our
cultivable area. For this purpose, installation of tube wells, repair of canal
banks and drainage of water etc. are needed. The Ministry of Agriculture
proposed to invest Rs. 18.5 billion with the objective of converting 2,00,000
acres of irrigated land to drip and shower irrigation system.
iv. Construction of Dams: Sometimes, due to heavy unwanted rains and floods
agricultural productivities destroys. To tackle this problem it is necessary to
construct dames and bands on rivers.
v. Provision of HYV Seed: High yielding variety seed is not available at suitable
price in Pakistan. So, farmers have to depend upon low quality of seeds that
Issues
i. Nutrition: Adequate nutrition is a major problem in livestock production in
Pakistan. Without providing the required nutrition for the animal the genetic
potential cannot be exploited. It is yet to be decided that how much nutrients
our animals need to express their full genetic potential of productivity. To
develop feeding standards of buffaloes, cattle, sheep and goat, no serious
effort have been made. It is difficult for extension workers to recommend
accurately to livestock farmers that what standard he has to follow to feed his
cow for cost-effective milk and meat production. Some advancement has been
made in this regard however there is a lot need to do for revolution in animal
nutrition. The availability of green fodder is not sufficient.
ii. Health: Livestock health is a limiting factor to productivity. A major problem is
the lack of proper knowledge and awareness about the productive benefits of
disease control. Those farmers, who are aware of the benefits, have limited
access to appropriate vaccines and therapeutic drugs. Animal production
systems are affected by different types of diseases with varying capacity like
mastitis, foot and mouth, helminthosis, parasites and tick-borne are most
important regarding animal productivity. In short the diseases seriously affect
productivity and profitability. Vaccination and treatment for the animals was
usually ignored by farmers which fallout to huge losses regarding productivity
and the number of heads. Farmers use to practise traditional methods for
animal care which exacerbate the problems for animal health. Lack of
diagnosis of diseases is a major factor in low productivity. In Pakistan, quacks
are very active in curing animals in the rural areas. These non-technical
persons often treat animals with hit and trial methods which some time cause
even death of the animal.
iii. Animal Productivity/Genetic Potential: Pakistan has bred with low genetic
potential Sire (bull). The breed with best potential such as Sahiwal cow and
Nili-Ravi buffalo are rarely found on the farms of small and medium farmers
who contribute a bigger share of heads. These pure breeds are in fact in
danger. There is need to save and exploit the genetic potential of the high
yielding breeds. It is common observation that there is a tendency among
farmers to cross the animals by imported semen. This practice is a big threat
to our local and potential breeds. It is interesting to say that Australia had
demanded the 100 pure Sahiwal breed and Pakistan could not provide. It
shows that the country is being lost to the breed.
iv. Lack of Livestock Credit: To establish the modern livestock farms, it needs huge
capital. Unlike crop sector, livestock sector required more investment. The
absence of credit disbursement to small and medium-scale farmers the
involvement of poor farmers in the commercialization of livestock production is
restricted.
ii.
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activity throughout the country. Fisheries share in GDP although very little but
it adds substantially to the national income through export earnings.
During 2014-15 (July-March), total marine and inland fish production was
estimated 499,000 m. tonnes out of which 365,000 m. tonnes was marine
production and the remaining catch came from inland waters. Whereas the
production for the period 2013-14 (July-March), was estimated to be 494,000
m. tons in which 345,000 m. tons was for marine and the remaining was
produced by inland fishery sector.
Pakistans major buyers are China, Thailand, Malaysia, Middle East, Sri Lanka,
Japan, etc. During 2014-15 (July-March), a total of 100,321 m.tonnes of fish and
fishery products were exported earning US$ 253.625 million. Whereas the
export for 2013-14 (July-March), was 102,967 m.tonnes of fish and fishery
products were exported earning US$ 254.728 million. The export of fish &
fishery products has been decreased by 2.57 percent in quantity and in value
have been decreased by 0.43 percent during 2014-15 (July-March).
Government of Pakistan is taking a number of steps to improve fisheries sector
which includes inter alia strengthening of extension services, introduction of
new fishing methodologies, development of value added products,
enhancement of per capita consumption of fish, up-gradation of socioeconomic conditions of the fishermens community.
Biological and Hydrological Research: During July-March 2014-15, sample
of seawater collected from coastal areas were analyzed to determine
parameters which affect fish distribution. Fish samples of different species
were examined for study of length-weight relationship, sex ratio, maturity, food
and feeding habit and fecundity etc. Monitoring for fish landing to determine
stock position was also carried out at Karachi Fish Harbour.
Quality Control Services: Marine Fisheries Department is responsible to
regulate quality and promote export of fish and fishery products and to prevent
export of substandard quality of seafood products and for matters connected
therewith and ancillary thereto. During July-March 2014-15, the Quality Control
Section of MFD has issued 12,555 certificates of Quality & Origin and health for
seafood commodities exported from Pakistan.
Accreditation of Quality Control Laboratories Under ISO / IEC-17025
International Standards: Two (02) laboratories (namely Microbiology and
Chemical) of MFD achieved international accreditation under ISO / IEC -17025
international standards. Thus the MFD has fulfilled the requirements of EU and
other importing countries and now, the test reports issued by these
laboratories are acceptable all over the world.
Extension in Accreditation of Testing Laboratories: The Biochemical
laboratory of MFD is planned for achievements of accreditation under
ISO/17025 International Standards.
Marine fisheries in Pakistan is being carried out on two distinct grounds i.e.
coastline covering Mekran (Balochistan) as well as the coast of Karachi (Sindh).
Sindh and Balochistan coasts comprise of many widely dispersed, small
landing places utilized by small craft equipped with sails and/or outboard
engines. The marine fish are marketed as fresh, freezing, canning for local
consumption. Karachi and Mekran being the most important fishing ports are
being developed by the Government of Pakistan as a fishing centre.
Inland fisheries are getting much popularity. Some inland resources include
small rivers, dams (Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma), lakes (Haleji, Keenjhar and
Manchhar), barrages, reservoirs, ponds and canals.
The major marine harbors of Pakistan are:
1. Karachi Fish Harbor handles about 90% of fish and seafood catch in
Pakistan and 95% of fish and seafood exports from Pakistan.
xii.
xiii.
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xv.
xvi.
II.
Issues
III.
Strategies for improvement
7) Cottage Industry
I.
Status
i. Surgical manufacturers. This type of business requires stainless steel which
can only acquired through imports. However, its end product is exported. The
Lahore and Sialkot cater to surgical manufacturers.
ii. Metalworking. In Peshawar area of Pakistan metalworking is done, it is famous
for copper and brass. The items produced include tins, trays, cans, plants.
iii. Ceramics. Ceramic painting and manufacturing is a famous cottage industry of
Pakistan. A well known example of ceramic painting is Pakistani piggy banks
called Gallas. Children use Gallas to save their money. Gujrat, Bahawalpur,
and Rawalpindi are areas where ceramic manufacturing is aesthetically done.
The items usually produced are crockery items like pots, mugs, cups and more.
iv. Jewelers. The level of perfection with which the jewellery is manufactured in
the cottage industry is to be praised, albeit, they are hand made but the
perfection with which it is made makes it commendable.
v. Textiles. The intelligence of report of ECONOMIST in August 2003 claims,
Despite Government efforts to diversify exports and widen the industrial base,
the industrial sector remains dominated by the Textile sector. Textile Sector still
represents 46% of total manufacturing and provides 68% of Pakistans Export
receipts. The items produced through textile industry of Pakistan include
Chiffon, Georgette, Lawn, Linen, Silk, and Taffeta.
vii.
Carpets & Rugs. The Quetta is known for selling the best rugs in the country.
The customers can get Moroccan rugs, Persian rugs, Turkish rugs, Afghani rugs,
and Russian rugs. These carpets and rugs have hand-knotted materials which
have a demand globally.
The President of ICCI claimed that Cottage industry has provided employment
to almost 80% of industrial workers.
II.
Issues
i. Lack of Finance :The cottage and small scale industry is facing the problem of
capital shortage. The financial institutions are not ready to provide the credit
on low rate of interest. It is an obstacle in the ways of small scale industry
development.
ii. Competition : There is a stiff competition between the large scale industry and
small scale industry and usually small scale industry suffers a loss.
iii. Import Policy : The import [policy of the government is also not favorable for
the small scale industry. It discourages the small scale industry.
iv. Smuggling : Smuggling of large scale consumer goods from Russia, Iran and
Singapore has also discouraged the small scale industry.
v. Problem of Raw Material : The owner of the small scale industry can not get
enough raw material what he wants. Poor quality of raw material is provided on
higher prices to the small industry.
vi. Old Methods of Production : Small industries use old machines and old
methods of production. Due to this the quality of small scale industries product
is very poor. So they are helpless to sell the product at low rate.
vii. Lack of Marketing Facility : The marketing facilities are inadequate in the
country. The small and cottage industries are selling their product at the low
prices in the hands of middleman. Even they can not advertise their product on
T.V because they have not sufficient capital for this purpose.
viii. Lack of Qualified Staff : The cottage industries can not employ the qualified
engineers and economists. It reduces the quality of product.
ix. Shortage of Electricity : There are a large number of villages where electricity
is no available. The non availability of electricity is an obstacle in the way of
small scale industries.
x. Breakdown of Electricity : The regular break down of electricity has also
affected the production of small scale industry adversely. Prices of electricity
are also rising day by day. Higher prices has increased the cost of production.
xi. Lack of Standardization : The mixing of good and bad product creates problems
of marketing inside and outside the country. The product is not standardized.
xii. High Cost of Production : The mostly cost of cottage industry is very high.
Because the process of production is very slow and raw material is also bought
at higher prices. Rates of electricity charges are also increasing.
xiii. Entrepreneur is Uneducated : Mostly cottage industries are owned managed
and controlled by literate people. They follow the old methods and production
remains very low.
xiv. Lack of Roads and Transport Facilities : There is a lack of roads, transport,
water supply, electricity and telephone facilities for the small scale industry.
When infrastructure will not be available how those can flourish.
xv. Lack of Storage Facilities : The small scale industry in particularly in villages is
lacking storage facilities. A huge product is wasted due to the problem.
III.
Strategies for improvement
8) Resource Management and Rural Development
I.
Status
i.
Rural development is a total process of economic, social and human
development. Development programmes have different connotations in
different political and social systems, but common to all is the need to reduce
unemployment, poverty and inequality with the participation of the masses.
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II.
Issues
i. Rural development policy always had a heavy bias towards large farmers,
whereas small landholders making more than 90 percent of total farms were
ignored along with landless labor community.
ii. Rigid cropping pattern prevailing in the country results in lack of intensification
and diversification of agriculture sector, thereby increasing unemployment in
rural areas.
iii. Natural resource base is deteriorating overtime. Due to inappropriate
agricultural practices and climate change, land degradation is more and land
productivity is declining. Almost 40 percent of land in Sindh alone has turned
saline. The rangelands on which 70 percent of local livestock thrives have been
degraded and no rehabilitation plans are in place (Baig and Khan, 2006).
iv. Literacy rate is very low in these areas and illiterate farmers cannot realize the
benefits of modern, scientific and technical know-how in farming business.
Moreover, rural areas are deprived of schools. In case, if schooling facilities are
available, then qualified staff is not available. Basic health care is the prime
need of every individual. Unfortunately, this component is totally ignored by
the Govt. Most villages in Pakistan still are lacking in hospitals, dispensaries
and other health centers. According to an estimate 70-80 million people do not
have requisite access to education and health services (Pirzada, 1999).
Poor health, malnutrition and high population growth rates are widespread in
rural areas, badly affecting productivity. According to an estimate, 30-50
million people are malnourished (Pirzada, 1999).
vi. Water supply and sanitation condition is not satisfactory in rural areas.
Population having access to safe water is 87 percent and 35 percent of total
population has access to sanitation (ADB, 2005).
vii. Appropriate facilities for healthy activities are not available in rural areas. So,
the frustrated young people indulge in obnoxious activities such as drug
addiction, rape, robbery, murder, etc.
III.
Strategies for improvement
i. The rural poor (small landholders and landless class) need to participate in the
development and implementation of the relevant policies and programs. It
requires institutional and technological reforms.
ii. For sustainable rural development, conservation and development of natural
resources, focusing on protection of environment and biodiversity must be
undertaken.
iii. Strengthening rural institutions in the country can satisfy the thrust for rural
development.
iv. There is a need to address the issues of inequality in terms of resources along
with the innovation and adoption of cost saving technologies.
v. There is a strong need to develop and promote agro-based industry in rural
areas to create employment opportunities through private-public interventions.
This will definitely help in reducing the rural urban migration on one hand and
rural poverty on the other. It could be achieved by promoting savings in rural
areas, thereby increasing investment opportunities for overall improvement in
the income of the rural communities.
vi. Proper monitoring and evaluation of rural development programmes must be
carried out to ensure successful implementation of programme activities and
those who are responsible for not achieving the results must be accounted for.
vii. Initiatives must be taken to address the problems of public health and
education for fast growing population. This demand for establishment of
schools and health facilities on modern lines. Such facilities would provide
productive, healthy and educated labour force to agriculture in particular and
to the economy in general
9) Institutions and Policies
I.
General Overview of MAJOR INSTITUTIONS PROVIDING EXTENSION/ADVISORY SERVICES
i. Public Institutions
1. Provincial Directorates General of Extension : In spite of devolution, the
Directorate-General of Agriculture and Applied Research still exists.
This office carries out various duties including advice on agriculture
sector to the provincial government, implementation of provincial
projects and maintenance of links with the district governments for
agricultural extension matters. The responsibility for livestock
extension lies with the Veterinary Officers and Veterinary Assistants of
the provincial Livestock and Dairy Department. A Directorate-General
for On-Farm Irrigation exists at provincial level. But like the DirectorateGeneral of Extension, it also provides policy advice to the provincial
government.
2. District level extension organization: Under the District Coordination
Officer are a number of Executive District Officers (EDO), and one of
them is for agriculture, called Executive District Officer for Agriculture
(EDOA). The EDOA coordinates agricultural activities with other
departments at district level. Under the EDOA is a District Officer for
Agriculture (DOA) who is also based at district level, and is responsible
for overall agricultural extension work in the particular district. At
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district level, the Livestock and Dairy Department has more or less the
same structure as the Department of Agriculture, staffed by District
Livestock Officers, Veterinary Officers and Veterinary Assistants. The
Irrigation and On-farm Water Management Directorate provides
extension advice on relevant matters mainly through Water Users
Associations. Within the districts, extension offices are located at the
following lower layers of bureaucracy:
3. Tehsil level extension offices: Under the DOA are many Deputy District
Officers for Agriculture (DDOA), based at tehsil level. Their number
corresponds with the number of tehsils in the particular district. The
DDOAs handle agricultural extension activities in their respective
tehsils.
4. Markaz level extension offices: Under the DDOA, there are many
Agriculture Officers (AOs) based at markaz level. These numbers
correspond with the number of markaz in the particular tehsil. The AOs
are responsible for carrying out agricultural extension responsibilities
in their respective markaz.
5. Union Council level extension offices: Under each AO are several Field
Assistants (FA) based at Union Council level. Their number corresponds
with the number of Union Councils in the particular markaz. The FAs
are frontline agricultural extension workers. Extension advice is
provided in the areas of crops, fruit, vegetables, livestock, fisheries,
and marketing. Under each FA are two Beldars who are fieldworkers.
They are more laborers than technical persons, and help the FA in daily
agricultural activities.
Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) http://www.parc.gov.pk
1. Although PARC is essentially apex agricultural research body, it has a
social sciences wing, which is engaged in policy level activities in
marketing and extension. Statutory functions of PARC are to aid,
promote and coordinate agricultural research, expedite utilization of
research results, establish research facilities, train high-level scientific
human resources, generate, acquire and disseminate agricultural
information, and establish a research library. The PARC sets national
agricultural research agenda, maintains national and international
coordination and conducts in-house strategic research on national
issues. Pakistans national agricultural research system (NARS) consists
of 20 federal research establishments for basic and applied research,
10 provincial research institutes for applied research, 14 agricultural
universities and colleges for basic research, and private agro-industry
research organizations for applied research on pesticides, fertilizers,
seed and machinery, and it is PARC which provides strategic thinking
and orientation to the entire NARS.
Number of Key Agricultural Extension Staff in Provinces of Pakistan as in 2011
1. Province/Number of Agriculture Officers/ Number of Field Assistants:
Punjab/763/3,264, Sindh/573/1,026, Balochistan/586/1,016, KhyberPakhtunkhwa/222/539, Gilgit and Baltistan/ 180/673: Total/2,324/ 6,518
Public universities
1. University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (in Punjab province)
2. Arid Agriculture University (also known as Barani University),
Rawalpindi
3. Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam (Sindh province),
4. Agricultural University, Peshawar (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province)
5. All these universities have agricultural extension departments which
offer degrees up to Doctorate. University of Agriculture at Faisalabad is
the oldest and largest institution in Pakistan among agricultural
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II.
Issues
i. Human Resources Issues
1. Pay structure & career opportunities
2. Research managers selection
3. Training opportunities
ii. Research Efficiency Issues
1. Priority setting
2. Collaboration / Linkage with external agencies
3. Funding for research to action
iii. Functional Issues
1. Funding and funding patterns
2. Facilities and equipments
3. Mobility
III.
Options/ Future Prospects
10) Way Forward/General Strategy
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
3) GMO
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
reality all crops have been genetically modified from their original wild state by
domestication, selection, and controlled breeding over long periods of time.
In 1994, Calgenes delayed-ripening tomato (Flavr-Savr) became the first genetically
modified food crop to be produced and consumed in an industrialized country. Since
the recorded commercialization of GM crops in 1996 to 2013, several countries have
contributed to 100-fold increase in the global area of transgenic crops.
The area planted to GM crops shot up from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 175.2 million
hectares in 2013, with an increasing proportion grown by developing countries. In
2013, there were 27 biotech countries, 19 of which growing 50,000 hectares or more,
20 developing countries and 8 industrial countries; they were, in order of hectarage:
USA, Brazil, Argentina, India, Canada, China, Paraguay, South Africa, Pakistan,
Uruguay, Bolivia, Philippines, Australia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Spain, Mexico,
Colombia, Sudan, Chile, Honduras, Portugal, Cuba, Czech Republic, Costa Rica,
Romania, and Slovakia.
In the developed world, there is clear evidence that the use of GM crops has resulted in
significant benefits. These include:
i. Higher crop yields
ii. Reduced farm costs
iii. Increased farm profit
iv. Improvement in health and the environment
Potential risks
i. The danger of unintentionally introducing allergens and other antinutrition
factors in foods
ii. The likelihood of transgenes escaping from cultivated crops into wild relatives
iii. The potential for pests to evolve resistance to the toxins produced by GM crops
iv. The risk of these toxins affecting nontarget organisms.
crops
Genetically modified crops (GMCs, GM crops, or biotech crops) are plants used in
agriculture, the DNA of which has been modified using genetic engineering techniques.
In most cases the aim is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur
naturally in the species.
Examples in food crops include resistance to certain pests, diseases, or environmental
conditions, reduction of spoilage, or resistance to chemical treatments (e.g. resistance
to a herbicide), or improving the nutrient profile of the crop. Examples in non-food
crops include production of pharmaceutical agents, biofuels, and other industrially
useful goods, as well as for bioremediation.
Farmers have widely adopted GM technology. Between 1996 and 2013, the total
surface area of land cultivated with GM crops increased by a factor of 100, from 17,000
square kilometers (4,200,000 acres) to 1,750,000 km2 (432 million acres).
10% of the world's croplands were planted with GM crops in 2010. In the US, by 2014,
94% of the planted area of soybeans, 96% of cotton and 93% of corn were genetically
modified varieties. In recent years GM crops expanded rapidly in developing countries.
In 2013 approximately 18 million farmers grew 54% of worldwide GM crops in
developing countries.
There is general scientific agreement that food on the market derived from GM crops
poses no greater risk to human health than conventional food. GM crops also provide a
number of ecological benefits. However, opponents have objected to GM crops per se
on several grounds, including environmental concerns, whether food produced from
GM crops is safe, whether GM crops are needed to address the world's food needs, and
economic concerns raised by the fact these organisms are subject to intellectual
property law.
Gene Transfer: DNA transfers naturally between organisms. Several natural
mechanisms allow gene flow across species. These occur in nature on a large scale
for example, it is one mechanism for the development of antibiotic resistance in
bacteria. This is facilitated by transposons, retrotransposons, proviruses and other
mobile genetic elements that naturally translocate DNA to new loci in a genome.
VII.
VIII.
4) Seed
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
All of the hybrid seeds planted by the farmer will produce similar plants while
the seeds of the next generation from those hybrids will not consistently have
the desired characteristics. Controlled hybrids provide very uniform
characteristics because they are produced by crossing two inbred strains. Elite
inbred strains are used that express well-documented and consistent
phenotypes (such as high crop yield) that are relatively good for inbred plants.
iii. Hybrids are chosen to improve the characteristics of the resulting plants, such
as better yield, greater uniformity, improved color, disease resistance. An
important factor is the heterosis or combining ability of the parent plants.
Crossing any particular pair of inbred strains may or may not result in superior
offspring. The parent strains used are therefore carefully chosen so as to
achieve the uniformity that comes from the uniformity of the parents, and the
superior performance that comes from heterosis.
Role of Seed Technology
i. A carrier of new technologies: The introduced of quality seed of new verities
and combined with other inputs significantly increased yield level e.g. in
cereals, yield increased up to 112%, in potato 24% & sugar beet - 142% in U.
S. A. & central Europe.
ii. A basic tool for secured food supply:The successful implementation of the high
yield verities programme in India has led to a remarkable increase the
production.As a result, food imports from other countries have been
substantially brought down in spite of the rapid population increase.
iii. The principle means to secure crop yield in less favorable area of production:
The supply of good quality seed of improved verities, suitable to these areas is
one of the crops. Immediate contribution that seed technology can make to
secure higher crop yield
Classes of Seeds
i. Nuclear seed : This is the hundred percent genetically pure seed with physical
purity and produced by the original breeder/Institute /State Agriculture
University (SAU) from basic nucleus seed stock. A pedigree certificate is issued
by the producing breeder.
ii. Breeder seed : This is also hundred percent physical and genetic pure seed for
production of foundation seed. A golden yellow colour certificate is issued for
this category of seed by the producing breeder.
iii. Foundation seed : The progeny of breeder seed produced by recognized seed
producing agencies in public and private sector, under supervision of seed
certification agencies in such a way that its quality is maintained according to
prescribed field ad seed standards. A white colour certificate is issued for
foundation seed by seed certification agencies.
iv. Certified seed : The progeny of foundation seed produced by registered seed
growers under supervision of seed certification agencies t o maintain the seed
quality as per minimum seed certification standards. A blue colour certificate is
issued by seed certification agency for this category of seed.
Basic Seeds Vs Certified Seeds
i. The seeds which seeds companies sell in the market and our farmers grow are
commonly certified seeds. The certification of seeds is a legally sanctioned
system for quality control of seeds that are used to cultivate crops. The
certified seeds are grown under stringent production requirements and they
have improved traits such as better yield, pest resistance, drought tolerance,
herbicide tolerance etc.
ii. The certified seeds are outcome of few years of research and development to
get these improved traits.
iii. This R&D is done on their parent plants. On this basis, there are five different
categories viz. Nucleus Seeds, Breeders Seeds, Foundation Seeds, Registered
Seeds and finally certified seeds. The Offspring of breeder seeds is foundation
Since the late 1960s, agricultural land use has expanded by 2025%, which has
contributed to approximately 30% of the overall grain production growth during the
period (FAO, 2002; Ramankutty et al., 2002). The remaining yield outputs originated
from intensification through yield increases per unit land area.
VII.
Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in
the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of
disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall. Additionally,
irrigation also has a few other uses in crop production, which include protecting plants
against
frost,
suppressing
weed
growth
in
grain
fields
and
preventing
soil
Irrigation systems are also used for dust suppression, disposal of sewage, and in
mining. Irrigation is often studied together with drainage, which is the natural or
artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area.
IX.
In the mid-20th century, the advent of diesel and electric motors led to systems that
could pump groundwater out of major aquifers faster than drainage basins could refill
them. This can lead to permanent loss of aquifer capacity, decreased water quality,
ground subsidence, and other problems. The future of food production in such areas as
the North China Plain, the Punjab, and the Great Plains of the US is threatened by this
phenomenon.
X.
At the global scale, 2,788,000 km (689 million acres) of fertile land was equipped with
irrigation infrastructure around the year 2000. About 68% of the area equipped for
irrigation is located in Asia, 17% in the Americas, 9% in Europe, 5% in Africa and 1% in
Oceania. The largest contiguous areas of high irrigation density are found:
i.
In Northern India and Pakistan along the Ganges and Indus rivers
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
Smaller irrigation areas are spread across almost all populated parts of the
world
XI.
Only 8 years later in 2008, the scale of irrigated land increased to an estimated total of
3,245,566 km, which is nearly the size of India.
XII.
iii.
Drip Irrigation: This is known as the most water efficient method of irrigation.
Water drops right near the root zone of a plant in a dripping motion. If the
system is installed properly you can steadily reduce the loss of water through
evaporation and runoff.
iv.
v.
Rotary System: This method of irrigation is best suited for larger areas, for the
sprinklers can reach distances of up to 100 feet. The word Rotary is
indicative of the mechanical driven sprinklers moving in a circular motion,
hence reaching greater distances. This system waters a larger area with small
amounts of water over a longer period of time.
vi.
3) Agriculture Mechanization
I.
Mechanization is defined as the art of using machineries to hasten production,
accomplish task and reduce fatigue and human labor in order to produce better quality
goods and services. Agricultural mechanization is the process whereby equipments,
machineries and implements are utilized to boost agricultural and food production.
II.
It is the application of machineries, equipments and implements in the day to day farm
activities to increase marginal output in food production and poverty eradication.
Agricultural mechanization reduces drudgery which hitherto makes it difficult for large
scale food production.
III.
Equipments, Machineries and Implements required for Land Preparation
i. Tractor: Farm Tractor is a self propelled machine or equipment that pulls or
pushes tools or implements over the land. It is equipment designed and used
for farm operations for the purpose of land preparations, cultivation and
harvesting of crops. A tractor is sub-divided into three (3) major parts namely
(a) engine system (b) transmission system and (c) hydraulic system
1. Engine Generally a tractor makes use of four (4) stroke cycle, internal
combustion, compression ignition (diesel), thermosyphon cooling, heat
engine of various cylinders depending on the horsepower of the
engine.
2. Transmission: The transmission system of the tractor consists of the
clutch assembly, gear train, final drive etc.
3. Hydraulic system: The hydraulic system of a tractor consists of
hydraulic fluid, Armshaft, three (3) point linkage i.e. lower links and top
link, hydraulic pump, selectmatic valves, quick coupling point, draft
control, control valve.
ii. Rotary Power Tiller: Rotary power tiller also known as two wheeled tractor is
light duty agricultural equipment used for tilling operation. It is affordable in
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
price when compared with the four wheeled tractors, for the small and medium
scale farmers. It could be used on undulating terrain and fragile soil. It is
portable and can be used or taken to the interior farmlands where there is no
access road for big tractors.The affordability of this equipment in terms of low
price to local farmers will make food production to increase considerably. The
rotary power tiller, apart from tilling operation could also perform the following,
these are: ploughing, wet pudding, ridging, cultivating, water pumping,
cassava planting and weeding operations making use of appropriate
implement. The equipment in conjunctions with the trailer could be used to
transport the appropriate implement to be used to the field and could also be
used to bring or conveyed farm produce from the field to the barn. The
equipment is economical, safe and efficient in use than manual operation. It
can perform tilling operation of about 1.25 hectares of land per day. The
equipment is sub-divided into (3) three major parts, these are:
1. Engine
2. Transmission
3. Implement
iii. Other equipments or machines in this category are:
1. Track laying tractor
2. Crop thresher
3. Combine harvester
iv. The implements are:
1. Disc plough and moldboard plough
2. Disc Harrow and moldboard Harrow
3. Disc Ridger and mouldboard Ridger
4. Boom Sprayer and Gun Sprayer
5. Seed Planter and Cassava Planter
6. Fertilizer Spreader
7. Mower
v. All these aforementioned machineries, equipments and implements plays vital
role in the enhancement of sustainable food production, if properly utilized and
made affordable within the reach of small and medium scale farmers.
vi. Food production stages: The food production stages consist of the followings:
1. Land clearing
2. Planting and weeding
3. Harvesting
4. Transportation
5. Processing
6. Storage
7. Consumption
Mechanised agriculture is the process of using agricultural machinery to mechanise the
work of agriculture, greatly increasing farm worker productivity. In modern times,
powered machinery has replaced many jobs formerly carried out by manual labour or
by working animals such as oxen, horses and mules.
The history of agriculture contains many examples of tool use, such as the plough.
Mechanization involves the use of an intermediate device between the power source
and the work. This intermediate device usually transforms motion, such as rotary to
linear, or provides some sort of mechanical advantage, such as speed increase or
decrease or leverage.
Current mechanised agriculture includes the use of tractors, trucks, combine
harvesters, airplanes (crop dusters), helicopters, and other vehicles. Modern farms
even sometimes use computers in conjunction with satellite imagery and GPS guidance
to increase yields.
Mechanisation was one of the factors responsible for urbanization and industrial
economies. Besides improving production efficiency, mechanisation encourages large
scale production and improves the quality of farm produce. On the other hand, it
VIII.
IX.
X.
4) Land
I.
II.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
XX.
XXI.
XXII.
would have first priority, and the second allowed the federal government to exempt
any educational institution or cooperative farming society from the operation of the
1977 act.
Land reforms were always controversial. It was alleged by opponents that they were
un-Islamic and that they infringed on the right to own, use and enjoy property as
protected by the constitution. Matters finally came to a head before the Supreme Court
in the case of Qazalbash Waqf v Chief Land Commissioner in which both the 1972
regulations were attacked as being against Islamic injunctions and unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court agreed.
Of the 1972 regulations, the Supreme Court declared that paragraphs 7, 8, 9, 10, 13
and 14 and thus consequently 18 were unconstitutional as being against Islamic
injunctions. The striking down of paragraphs 8 and 18 overturned the main reforms
achieved.
Similarly in the same case the Supreme Court overturned the entire sections 3, 4, 5,
6, 7(5), 8, 9, 10 and consequently sections 11-17 of the act as being
unconstitutional and against Islamic injunctions. The striking down of sections 3 and 17
undid the main reforms promulgated in the act. The laws stated to be unconstitutional
ceased to have effect on March 23, 1990 (the day the judgement was handed down).
The net result of the Qazalbash Waqf v Chief Land Commissioner is that land reforms in
Pakistan are now at the same level as they were in 1947, as the 1972 regulations and
the 1977 act have seen their main provisions being struck down and the 1959
regulations have been repealed.
To commence land reforms and to ensure they contain at least the same measure of
reforms as the 1972 regulations and the 1977 act did will at the very least require a
constitutional amendment which allows parliament to enact legislation regarding land
reform notwithstanding the relevant constitutional provisions.
Failing the above, any proposed reforms would have to be more limited in their ambit
than the previous reforms to avoid unconstitutionality or their lordships would have to
overrule the judgment in the Qazalbash Waqf v Chief Land Commissioner in another
case.
It is very difficult for people to reconcile to the fact that the dose of 'Islamic welfare'
that they have been taught largely ends at zakat and while there are promises of huge
rewards on helping the needy, Islam is very much pro-capitalistic and opposes ceilings
on wealth accumulation
The politics of land reform have always been tenuous in this country, the populist
rhetoric very much opposed to the reality. In the latest series of mere rhetoric on the
issue, the MQM has set up a 'think tank' that will table parliamentary legislation for
land reforms in the country. However, these statements of ending feudalism and
bringing land reforms not only ignore the legal challenges that such reforms face in
the wake of the Qazalbash Waqf case that declared a ceiling on landholdings as
opposed to shariah but also serve nothing but the appetites of the urban middle
class masses who are too keen to blame feudalism for all ills. Needless to say, land
reforms are very much supported by the masses but their vocal proponents amongst
the urban middle classes fail to understand the history, politics and legal perspective
associated with such a change.
The basis of land reform has always been to abolish the stratification of society based
on the concentration of land in the hands of a select few. This monopolisation of
landholdings leads to the denial of political rights to a large percentage of the
population in an agrarian economy like ours.
Feudalism is a tribal notion that hampers social progress and is combined with the fact
that landlords have social, political and often religious and legal power in their regions.
However, urban upper middle and middle classes have crafted a narrative that blames
all national problems on feudalism. This notion is devoid of reality since feudalism has
transformed over the past 63 years and, contrary to popular perception, landlords
cannot continue to suppress their subjects and still expect to remain politically popular.
XXIII.
XXIV.
XXV.
XXVI.
XXVII.
XXVIII.
XXIX.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
World
2,361
1,381
980
72,524
~29%
504,180
375,824
110,953
1,078,121
3,869,455
3,682,722
186,733
5,059,984
Types
1) The coniferous forests occur from 1,000 to 4,000 m altitudes. Chitral, Swat, Upper Dir, Lower
Dir, Malakand, Mansehra and Abbottabad districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and
Rawalpindi district of the Punjab are the main areas covered with coniferous forests. Pindrow
Fir(Abies pindrow), Morinda spruce (Picea smithiana), deodar (Cedrus deodara), blue pine
(Pinus wallichiana), chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) are the most common varieties. The Coniferous
forests also occur in Balochistan hills. Chilghoza pine (Pinus gerardiana) and juniper (Juniperous
macropoda) are the two most common species of Balochistan.
2) The sub-tropical dry forests are found in the Attock, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Jhelum and Gujrat
districts of the Punjab, and in the Mansehra, Abbottabad, Mardan, Peshawar and Kohat districts
of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa up to a height of 1,000 m. In Balochistan, they are confined to the
Sulaiman Mountains and other hilly areas. Dominant tree species are phulai (Acacia modesta),
kau (Olea cuspidata) and hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa).
3) The tropical thorn forests are dominated by xerophytic scrubs. They are most widespread in
the Punjab plains but also occupy small areas in southern Sindh and western Balochistan. They
are mainly used for grazing purposes, watershed protection and fuelwood. Common species
are vann (Salvadora oleoides), khejri (Prosopis cineraria), kair (Capparis aphylla), etc.
4) The irrigated plantations were first developed in 1866 at Changa Manga in Lahore. Today they
occupy about 226,000 ha. Sheesham (Dalbergia sissoo), mulberry/Shahtoot (Morus alba),
babul (Acacia nilotica) and species of Eucalyptus and Populus are the common tree species
grown in the irrigated plantations.
5) The riparian forests grow in narrow belts along the banks of River Indus and its tributaries.
They are more commonly found in Sindh and to some extent in the Punjab. Babul (Acacia
nilotica), Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) and Tamarax dioica are the most common species. Khejri
(Prosopis cineraria) and Populus euphratica are some other species. They are mainly used for
lumber.
37%
34%
28%
3%
37%
10%
34%
16%
20%
Uses
The forests of Pakistan are a main source of lumber, paper, fuelwood, latex, medicine as well as human
and animal food. Other minor products include resin (a fluid in tissue of Chir pine plant that becomes
solid on exposure to the air) and 'mazri' (used for making baskets). The forests also provide for
ecotourism and wildlife conservation purposes. Forests have also been planted in some areas like Thal
Desert to avoid soil erosion and further desertification. Riparian zone along the river Indus have been
managed to avoid excess flooding.
Annual production, 1996-1998 (source)
Parameter
Pakistan
Asia
World
Total production (000m)
31,528 1,111,958
3,261,621
Fuelwood production (000m) 29,312 863,316
1,739,504
Industrial roundwood production (000m)
2,217 268,470
Paper (thousand metric tons) 619
88,859 313,206
1,522,116
Deforestation
The Federal Bureau of Statistics provisionally valued this sector at Rs.25,637 million in 2005 thus
registering over 3% decline of forests in Pakistan since 2000. The main reasons of deforestation are
urbanization, farming, overgrazing, global warming, and tourism development. This has led to severe
consequences desertification, flooding and endangering of wildlife.
As a consequence to deforestation and changing land use patterns, the most critically affected
ecosystems of Pakistan are:
Juniper forests of northern Balochistan, have been heavily harvested for timber and fuelwood.
Indus River riparian zone is the other such area where ecological changes have drastically affected the
'Riverain Forests'. Large tracts have been cleared for agriculture.
The Himalayan temperate forests are also under severe pressure from logging for timber and firewood
and making clearings for agriculture and the increasing population pressure.
Conservation
The protected areas serve the purpose of conserving the forests and wildlife of Pakistan. National
Conservation Strategy of 1993 was a major landmark of start of conservation of natural resources and
wildlife in Pakistan. Resource-managed man-made forests like Changa Manga, Kamalia plantation and
Chichawatni plantation have also been planted to serve purpose and conserve forests. Through
conservation, a large region of Thal desert has been afforested.
Natural protected forests
Birir Valley Coniferous Forest in Chitral District (also called 'Deodar Chilghoza Oak Forest')
Jhangar Scrub Forest in Chakwal District
Man's dependence on trees for the essential of his existence has been of paramount importance in his
life since the human race began. To-day almost all the necessities of life are in one way or the other
connected with the forest wealth. Besides glorifying the beauty of nature, the trees prove to be helpful
to the economy. The economic growth of an agricultural country like ours is dependent on heavy plant
production and its wide distribution. The trees help the industrial revolution in a big way and provide
excellent raw materials for industry. The wooded area in our country is 4.5 percent of the total which is
very insufficient. The universally desirable standard is 20 percent. Our annual requirement of wood is
about 22 million cubic feet of timber and we hardly produce 11 million cubic feet and the balance has
to be imported in foreign exchange. The total area of the country is 197 million acres, of which forest
area constitutes only about 72 lakh acres. Moreover, only 47 lakh acres or 2.4 percent of the total has
been classified as productive forests. It is estimated that with an increase of 50,000 acres per year in
future afforestation programme, it will required about 100 years to raise the present meagre forest
area by about another 2.5 percent. Trees are beneficial to mankind in many ways. They help to
improve the environment. Trees can help to control water and wind erosion, serve to regulate
temperatures in the cropping zone, supply wood, influence the cycling of nutrients significantly, fix
atmospheric nitrogen, compete with crops for light, water and nutrients, influence biological equlibria
involving pests and their natural enemies. Some woody plants such as Acacia arabica, Azadirachta
indica, Dalbergia sisso and Zizyphus mauritiana are grown in or on borders of the cultivated fields,
which have come economic values. As regards fruit bearing trees, we have the example of our
neighbouring country India. A large number of these trees live at public roads and highways. Perhaps
the tradition emanates from the earliest grand trunk road, where shaddy trees, laden with fruit, were
planted along the road for the benefit of mankind. To plant trees is to ensure for the community
unending social, economic and environmental advantages. It is bequeath what our Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) described as Sadqa-i-Jariya.
Unfortunately, ours is wood deficit country. Although, our efforts over the past four decades have
enabled us to increase the forest area from 2 to 5 percent, our wood resources still lag far behind our
requirements. We have to spend Rs.1.75 billion every year on imports. Trees are like jewels strung
Reduction of noise
Recreation
Reduction of pressure on national forests
Achievement of self-sufficiency by the villages
Improvement of rainfall by induction precipitation
Types of Forests
Tropical rainforests
Hugely dense, lush forest with canopies preventing sunlight from getting to the floor of the forest
All year high temperatures and abundant rainfall
Located near the equator
A vital storehouse of biodiversity, sustaining millions of different animals, birds, algae and fish species
Sub-tropical forests
Located at the south and north of the tropical forests
Trees here are adapted to resist the summer drought
Mediterranean forests
Located at the south of the temperate regions around the coasts of the Mediterranean, California, Chile
and Western Australia
The growing season is short and almost all trees are evergreen, but mixed with hardwood and
softwood
Temperate forests
Located at Eastern North America, Northeastern Asia, and western and eastern Europe
Mix of deciduous and coniferous evergreen trees
Usually, the broad-leaved hardwood trees shed leaves annually
There are well-defined seasons with a distinct winter and sufficient rainfall
Coniferous forests
Located in the cold, windy regions around the poles
They come in both hardwoods and conifers
The hardwoods are deciduous
The conifers are evergreen and structurally adapted to withstand the long drought-like conditions of
the long winters
Montane forests
Known as cloud forests because they receive most of their precipitation from the mist or fog that
comes up from the lowlands
Usually found in high-elevation tropical, subtropical and temperate zones
Plants and animals in these forests are adapted to withstanding the cold, wet conditions and intense
sunlight
Trees are mainly conifers
Plantation forests
Has around 7% of global forest cover (140 million hectares)
Produces more sustainable timber and fibre than natural forests
Plantations produce around 40% of industrial wood
Plantation forests are on the increase
Regeneration of Forest
Preamble
National Forest Policy (NFP) provides a framework for the sustainable management of forests and
allied natural resources, namely watersheds, rangelands, wildlife and associated biodiversity. The
policy seeks to launch a process of addressing fundamental causes of forest depletion through active
participation of all stakeholders, particularly local communities, to maintain and improve ecosystem
functions and services of forests and allied natural resources. It is an umbrella policy providing
guidelines to the Federal and Provincial Governments, Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)
and administrations of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Gilgit Baltistan territories for
protection, conservation, and sustainable management of Renewable Natural Resources (RNR) for
devising policies, strategies and action plans specific to their priorities, needs, socio-economic and
ecological conditions.
II.
Goal
The policy aims at restoration, development, conservation and sustainable management of forests and
allied natural resources to ensure sustainability of ecosystem functions, services and benefits for
present and future generations of Pakistan.
III.
Objectives
The following basic objectives shall govern achieving goal of the National Forest Policy:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Restoration and maintenance of natural forests to preserve ecological cycles, functions and
services.
Increasing productivity of forests to meet requirements of timber, fuel wood, fodder and nonwood forest products and to promote sustainable natural resource based livelihoods.
Encouraging efficient utilization of wood and non-wood forest products, maximizing wood
substitution and development of alternative renewable energy resources.
Development of forest resource base to enhance carbon sequestration capacity and mitigation
of climate change effects, through massive afforestation programmes, especially on all
denuded, degraded and unproductive lands.
Mainstreaming sustainable forest management into sectoral policies, plans and programmes,
ensuring effective inter-provincial and inter-ministerial coordination at Federal and provincial
levels.
Conservation of biological diversity, protection and sustainable use of indigenous flora and
fauna.
7. Fostering public-private partnerships to enhance forest cover and promote commercial forestry
in private sector and encouraging role of civil society organizations.
8. Strengthening forestry education and research institutions to cope with the emerging
challenges of deforestation and climate change.
9. Creating mass awareness and involving local communities in sustainable natural resource
management.
10. Meeting national obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements especially CBD,
UNCCD, UNFCCC and UNFF.
IV
POLICY MEASURES
A GIS/Remote Sensing based system shall be developed to establish and monitor boundaries of
forest lands and changes in tree cover in the country, in order to address issues of deforestation and
changes in land use. The Provincial Governments shall ensure mutation of state forestlands,
maintenance of proper revenue record, demarcation and establishment of permanent boundary pillars.
1.2
1.2.1 Control of Encroachments : Forest encroachments are on the increase and this trend has to
be curbed through effective legislation and law enforcement. There should be no regularization of
existing encroachments.
1.2.2 Forest Fire Management: The incidence of fires in mountain forests is high leading to
enormous damage to the growing stock and natural regeneration. Special precautions and improved
management practices should be adopted to deal with forest fires.
1.2.3 Regulating Mining and Quarrying: Mining and quarrying in designated forest lands and
lands covered by trees should be allowed only after ensuring that the beneficiaries shall repair and revegetate the area in accordance with established forestry practices. No mining lease should be
granted, private or public, without proper EIA and management plan, appraised from the
environmental angle and enforced by adequate set-up.
1.3
Bringing Additional Land under Tree Cover: The concept of social forestry, farm forestry,
agro-forestry will be promoted by providing appropriate incentives to the farmers. Tree
planting, soil stabilization and watershed management will be an integral component of all
Federally funded projects for construction of new dams, water reservoirs, roads, railways,
canals, industrial estates, housing schemes, etc. The corporate sector shall be motivated to
participate in afforestation campaigns under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and under
obligation to sequester green house gases emitted from the industrial processes.
1.4
Government of Pakistan shall assign high priority to development programmes aiming at sustainable
livelihood for local communities through integration of forestry component with
projects and
programmes of other economic sectors including agriculture, water, tourism, housing, communication.
1.6
Transparency and Good Governance: National, provincial and local governments shall
ensure adequate institutional mechanisms for ensuring career protection and safety of Forestry
professionals in the discharge of their official duties, keeping in view transparency and
accountability at different levels.
1.7
Wood Substitution and import liberalization: In order to reduce pressure on natural
forests, use of solid timber of precious tree species like deodar and shisham for construction and
furniture should be discouraged in government buildings. A programme for promotion of composite
wood, non-wood and synthetic wood products in construction of government buildings may be
launched. As a major step towards wood substitution and import liberalization, the Government will
exempt timber imports from all types of taxes, including sales tax.
1.8
Grazing Regulation
Heavy, indiscriminate and ubiquitous grazing being one of major cause of degradation of forests and
allied natural resources, programmes to promote regulated (controlled) grazing, stall feeding and
breed improvement shall be launched in collaboration with Livestock Division, Government of Pakistan
and Provincial Livestock Departments.
1.9
A Forest Development Fund will be established at Federal level for conservation and development of
critical watersheds in uplands, on which sustained supply of the nations water depends. Part of such
fund shall also be used for promotion of forestry research, education and extension in the country.
2.
Institutional Strengthening
Improvement and strengthening of Federal and provincial institutions responsible for education,
research, management and extension of forestry and allied disciplines in the country will receive high
priority. The institutions will be restructured to enable them to handle present day challenges and
responsibilities. Pakistan Forest Institute will also be gradually transformed into a University of Forests
and Natural Resource Sciences. National Forestry Council will be established as a think tank on forest
policy, maintain and monitor academic and professional standards in forestry and allied disciplines.
Office of Inspector General Forests will be strengthened to discharge the mandated functions including
planning and policy making, inter-provincial and inter-ministerial coordination, finacing and
international cooperation. Special resources will be allocated to effectively deal with the new
challenges like climate change through capturing emerging opportunities under Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM) and Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation ( REDD).
3.
4.
4.1
Mountain Forests: Mountain forest ecosystems are critically important to Pakistan. They
provide a carbon sink to mitigate global warming, act as repositories of invaluable biodiversity,
Timber harvesting shall only be resumed in well stocked forests that are covered under
updated and revised management plans approved by the respective government. All
operations such as marking, felling, logging, transportation and regeneration of forests
shall be monitored by an independent committee having representation of the Forest
Department, District Administration, reputable environmental NGO, concerned community
and the Federal Government. Such committees shall be notified by the provincial
governments.
b.
Timber harvesting shall only be resumed in those areas whose owners and right-holders
undertake to fully participate in the management and regeneration of their forests in
association with the Forest Department, with due regard to meeting the minimum
sustainable needs of the non-right-holders to the extent of the productive capacity of each
forest.
c.
Essential criteria for classifying forests into commercial and non-commercial categories
shall not only be stocking but terrain, need for regeneration and a creditable guarantee
from the owners, right-holders and users that they will ensure the regeneration of the
forests by affording them protection from grazing, fires and other sources of injuries.
The principal objective of timber harvesting in the above forests shall be poverty
alleviation through providing income to the owners and right holders and to promote
economic activity through generating local employment. Provincial Governments will make
arrangements for training the local people in all timber-harvesting operations and enable
them to take on small timber harvesting contracts on the pattern successfully
demonstrated in the Kalam and Kaghan projects.
d.
4.1.2
e.
In order to ensure regeneration of the forests, timber harvesting should be undertaken only
after a regeneration plan has been approved and funds ensured for its implementation.
f.
Provincial Governments and forest owners shall provide necessary resources to rehabilitate
the degraded forests. In this regard the initiative of establishing Forest Development Fund
taken by NWFP Forest Department may be adopted in other provinces as well including AJK
and Gilgit- Baltistan.
g.
h.
The role of Protected Areas in conserving ecological characters of representative samples of important
ecosystems is well recognized. Therefore, the Provincial Governments will be encouraged to create and
effectively manage Protected Areas networks falling in their geographical boundaries.
Federal Government will provide grants out of poverty alleviation programmes to rural communities,
dependent on such forests for firewood and fodder; for growing these commodities on their village
lands through participatory approaches.
Appropriate institutional mechanisms will be devised for collaborative management of such protected
forests with the local communities in order to give them an economic and environmental stake in the
endeavor.
4.2
Mangrove Forests: Mangrove forests are vital for protecting coastal belt and as habitat for
fish nurseries and shrimp, which are a source of food and export earnings. These forests are
threatened by marine pollution, scarcity of fresh water flowing down the Indus delta, and overuse by the local communities for fuel wood and fodder. In order to ensure protection of these
forests, proper arrangements shall be made for containing marine pollution, allowing sufficient
water to flow down the Indus River and evolving an incentive-based system for sustainable
management of these forests.
4.3
Riverain Forests
Riverain forests are pitiable remnants of the extensive woodlands that once fringed rivers of Pakistan.
These forests shall be managed primarily for maintenance of their environmental and biodiversity
functions, and secondarily for meeting the needs of the public and wood-based industries.
As the existence of these forests is primarily dependent on availability of inundation water from the
Indus River System, this fact will have to be kept in view while planning Indus water storage and
distribution system.
4.4
Relict forests and their associated biodiversity are an invaluable cultural heritage of Pakistan, which
once covered the mountains of Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistanand plains of Punjab and Sindh. Native tree
species, having strong cultural and social values, shall be preserved and promoted. It shall, therefore,
be the policy of Government to preserve these forests and associated biodiversity primarily for
research, education, maintenance of local environment, and controlled eco-tourism; in partnership with
rural communities by providing them their minimum subsistence needs from the forests, along with
appropriate incentives in return for their active participation in the regeneration and protection of the
forests. Such forests include juniper forests of Ziarat, Chalghoza forests in Sulaiman Range, spruce
forests of Naltar in Gilgit-Baltistan.
4.4.1
Juniper Forests
The juniper forests of Balochistan are unique in having survived as remnants of once extensive forests
covering its high mountains against overwhelming odds, such as heavy uncontrolled grazing and
removal of wood by the local communities for use as fuel and timber. Besides their scientific
significance they also harbor a unique biodiversity, protect watersheds of the apple growing tracts, and
have great scenic beauty for promoting eco-tourism.
The Provincial Government shall take appropriate measures for conservation and sustainable
management of these forests with the involvement of local communities. This shall be achieved by
providing them incentives for enhancing their livelihoods and thus reduce their dependence on the
forests for consumptive uses.
Chalghoza Forests
The chalghoza forests of Balochistan and South Waziristan comprise the largest pure stands of
chalghoza pine in the country. Their survival is being threatened by the unsustainable demands of the
residents of about a hundred remote villages for timber, fuel wood, grazing, and edible pine nuts. To
save these forests from extinction, the Provincial Government shall launch appropriate development
schemes, on the same lines as for the juniper forests. Cultivation of chalghoza pine orchards will also
be promoted, in order to relieve pressure on limited natural forests.
4.4.3
Spruce Forests
Spruce forests in Naltar, District Gilgit in Gilgit-Baltistan being famous for their biodiversity shall be
protected with the involvement of local communities. This would require provision of appropriate
incentives by the Gilgit-Baltistan Administration for integrated resource management with all
stakeholders so that adverse impact of human and livestock pressure on these forests is reduced.
5.
Wildlife Management: Rapid depletion of forest, range and wetland resources have
adversely affected wildlife habitats bringing many endemic animal and plant species on the
verge of extinction. Pakistans Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP 2000) provides a strategic
framework for biodiversity conservation in the country. In order to effectively manage existing
protected areas and encourage new conservation initiatives on privately owned lands,
provincial wildlife departments shall be strengthened and Forest-Wildlife coordination be
improved. Federal Government shall assist provinces for implementation of international
treaties/conventions i.e. CITES, CBD, CMS and Ramsar Convention in provincial territories for
the protection and conservation of the threatened species of wildlife and their habitats.
National Council for Conservation of Wildlife (NCCW) shall be strengthened for providing more
effective advisory and coordination services. The capacity of Zoological Survey Department
shall be enhanced for biodiversity assessment and to conduct regular surveys and research on
wildlife species and habitats.
6.
Rangelands and Desert Ecosystems
6.1
Sub-Alpine and Alpine Rangelands and Meadows
Sub alpine and alpine rangelands and meadows constitute one of the most productive but fragile
ecosystems of the country. Over-grazing is not only depleting the productivity of these ecosystems but
is also setting soil erosion causing their permanent degradation. Wildlife in these areas is in direct
competition with livestock and many species particularly snow leopard, musk deer, Markhor and
Ladakh Urial have become endangered
The Federal Government shall assist Provincial Governments in conservation and rehabilitation of these
ecosystems by carrying out inventories on range condition, habitat restoration and preparation of
conservation plans.
6.2
Semi-Arid and Arid Rangelands.
Semi-arid and arid rangelands in Pakistan cover about 30 percent of its total land area. Un-controlled
over-grazing and uprooting the shrubs for fuel wood is converting these areas into deserts.
Government of Pakistan shall provide financial assistance to Provincial Governments for undertaking
rehabilitation and management of such lands. It shall also provide facilities for education in Range
Management and Wildlife Management.
6.3
8.
Management of irrigated and linear plantations
Irrigated Plantations (IPs) are badly suffering from shortage of irrigation water. New improved irrigation
and planting techniques shall be encouraged to rejuvenate IPs with fast growing local species
propagated under state of the art silvicultural system. Production of non-wood products of IPs such as
silk, honey and medicinal plants shall be enhanced to generate sources of livelihood for surrounding
communities.
Existing linear plantations along canals, roads and railway tracks shall be protected and developed
using new irrigation and protection technologies. At least 10 % of command area of new canals shall
be allocated for raising plantations. Road side plantations shall become an integral component of all
the projects of new highways and motorways.
9.
10.
11.
V.
Improving urban environment: Urban and amenity forestry shall be given due focus by
city and district administrations in their development programmes. Maximum available blank
lands in jurisdiction of city and district governments shall be brought under tree cover. New
housing schemes shall allocate maximum areas for amenity planting and building by-laws
shall essentially include open space for trees.
Promotion of Indigenous Tree Species: Tree species of native origins, adapted to specific
forest ecosystems, will be promoted. Special measures are, however, needed by the provincial
governments to improve germplasm availability of species like Fraxinus, Juniper, Betula, Taxus,
Abies, native Acacia, Ziziphus, Prosopis cineraria, Tamarix, Tecomella, Calligonum, and
Dalbergia etc. This would be needed to enhance growth rate of native species and induce
resilience to pests, diseases, pollution and climate change affects. Provincial governments will
ensure that alien invasive species are not introduced and propagated
Monitoring and Evaluation Systems:In order to monitor the changes in forest cover, both
on public and private lands, an effective monitoring and evaluation system is urgently needed
for future policy, planning and implementation purposes. Government of Pakistan will provide
necessary financial and technical assistance to provincial forest departments and R&D
institutions for establishing regular monitoring system based on GIS and Remote Sensing.
ACTION PLAN: A mechanism shall be devised to implement and review the National Forest
Policy, including passing of any legislation that may be required, issuance of the requisite
notifications and the provisions of fund etc. A synoptic action plan for implementation of
National Forest Policy is given as under:
1.
Responsibilities
1.1
Federal Level
At the Federal level, Ministry of Environment shall be responsible for initiating following actions;
Establishing a cell under IGF for monitoring implementation of the policy.
Reporting annual progress of policy implementation to the Federal Forestry Board (FFB)
1.2
Provincial Level: In line with the provisions of this umbrella policy, respective Provincial
Forest and Wildlife Departments including FATA, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan shall initiate actions to achieve
the goal and objectives envisaged in this policy.
2.
Priming the Action
Government shall implement this policy through the following stages:
1. Preparation and implementation of a 10-Year Plan of Action (2010-2020).
2. Integration of Plan of Action with PSDP and international grant assistance.
Provincial/territorial governments shall devise their own policies, legislation, programmes and plans of
actions.
References: