Pakistan’s rice is a highly export centric commodity, with an average 60 percent of total domestic production going towards export. Over the past three decades, focus of large-scale farming in the country has shifted increasingly towards paddy crop, with output recording consistent gains at an average of 2.16 percent per annum during the period.
Yet, compared to other major rice exporting countries, Pakistan’s yield per hectare has inched forward very slowly at 1.66 percent per annum, and currently stands at an average of 2,500 kilos per hectare. In contrast, yield per hectare stands at over seven thousand in China, six in Vietnam, and four thousand in India.
As a result, despite being only second to cotton in its contribution to export, country’s rice exports have remained stuck below 4 million tons over the last decade. In value terms, paddy crop exports have contributed less than $2 million on average, despite marginal improvement in per unit ton price fetched.
Since early 1990s, most countries have adopted System of Rice Intensification practices (SRI) known as SRI, that help increase productivity of land and water. Compared to other nations, Pakistan continues to rely on flood irrigation for paddy farming, which has often labelled ‘virtual water export’ due to high water footprint of the paddy crop.
Common SRI Techniques involve six elements that distinguish it from traditional practices. First, seedlings are transplanted at very early age; second, only a single seedling, instead of a handful is planted over each hill. Third, plants are spaced much wider apart in a square fashion. Fourth, and the most significant, water is applied intermittently to create wet-and-dry conditions, instead of continuous flood irrigation. Last two include rotary weeding to avoid soil erosion and use of organic fertilizers.
As is obvious, SRI techniques are neither capital intensive nor require significant investment in modernizing farm infrastructure, including canal to farmgate infrastructure which has become the most complaint of local farming community. The techniques are however more labour intensive as single seedling plantation and other practices require much greater care during and post sowing period.
SRI techniques have helped increased yields by 50 to 100 percent, according to one World Bank report, with greatest success in South Asian countries such as China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The practices have also become equally popular in neighbouring India. And it is the SRI experience of Pakistan’s forever frenemy that carries most lessons for us.
The success of SRI in India came on the back of wide-scale marketing and public awareness campaign undertaken by public and private sector organizations. Newspapers and TVCs accorded significant and disproportionate share to awareness campaign adverts, with private sector rice milling and exporting associations picking tab for funding.
Given SRI success not only in canal irrigated but also rain-fed regions around the world, it presents an obvious opportunity for Pakistani rice farmers to increase yield at a time of water scarcity, given its significant low-cost potential. However, for this to happen, rice milling and exporting associations will have to take stewardship to create farmer awareness. At the time of this writing, Pakistan has hundreds of operating rice mills, and tens of associations. Any takers?
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