Developing Cholistan

All eyes are fixed on the development of Cholistan. Corporate farming is being considered. Canals are being planned to provide the much-needed sweet water.

Alarm bells have started to ring from the lower riparian farmers who fear acute shortage of water. Like other underdeveloped areas of the country, land and water are both available in abundance in Cholistan. While the soil is rich most ground water is brackish with small pockets of sweet water.

In the year 2008 a proposal was submitted to the Cholistan Development Authority (CDA) for development of ‘Jatropha Farms’ in Cholistan. The plant grows on marginal land with limited supply of water, the seeds produce oil with can be converted into biodiesel after esterification. Pakistan State Oil (PSO) had shown interest in procurement of this commodity.

Four credible industrial groups (Qarshi Industries, Seasons Canola, Irfan Foods, Midland Foods) had submitted a proposal for lease of land from CDA. Suitable parcels were identified. After thorough evaluation by the Agriculture Department, Planning and Development, Board of Revenue (BOR) summary was forwarded to the Chief Minister for approval.

Before signing the lease agreement, BOR requested the provincial department of energy to facilitate the process as BOR lacked the expertise to evaluate energy projects. A joint site visit was undertaken to select the available land parcel with instructions to department of energy to submit report for final allocation of land to department of energy to be later handed over to the ’ Oil Seed Investors Group’.

The selection of land was carried out and the department had to submit a report which is still awaited despite several visits and reminders. The entire effort was wasted at the last stage due to bureaucratic inaction on the part of provincial energy department.

The proposal was based on appropriate ‘Technology Interventions’. Troughs had been designed for low-cost partial distillation of brackish water, which was to be dispensed through drip irrigation to grow Jatropha Seeds to extract oil which was then to be esterified to produce biodiesel the final product after application of three technologies: distillation, drip irrigation, esterification.

PSO was ready to buy the product. It was totally a private sector initiative/investment with land lease from the CDA on yearly payment. There was clear understanding for Transfer of Technology (ToT) for benefit of local farmers. It was a win-win situation for all the stake holders.

No canals had to be dug to avoid conflict of water sharing. Jatropha has been successfully planted in China, India and South America mostly on marginal lands with limited water availability.

Areas like Cholistan, Thar, coastal Balochistan, etc., can be developed with intervention of appropriate technologies without disruption of the existing agriculture frameworks and scarce water resources.

There is ample brackish or hard water in Cholistan and Thar which can be softened to make it usable for plants like Jatropha. In Thar the water that is pumped out from the mine is being used to grow trees and fish hatcheries. In Balochistan there are deep pockets of ground water.

The coastal areas have high wind velocities for which data has been collected. Wind pumps can be used to pump out water.

A project was identified by the Science Foundation in the Bosal area near the Omara Naval Base to install wind pumps to establish fruit orchards using drip irrigation method to conserve water. Two technologies were identified: Wind Pumps and Drip Irrigation.

The recent floods in Sindh and Balochistan call for massive water storage sites to conserve this gift of nature that has turned into a calamity. In the year 2004 several small Leaky dams were built in Balochistan to charge the much-needed ground water. The project can be revisited for its revival/restoration. Better water management is required.

Israel opted for out of box solutions to turn the deserts green. New technologies and management practices were introduced. Drip irrigation is widely practiced together with water recycling. Even waste is converted into energy.

Pakistan needs to look at alternate methods without jeopardising the existing and developed farmlands. New areas require new approaches together with application of appropriate technologies.

Development of Cholistan should be taken as a challenge. Professionals must be called in to finalize development plans.

Public-private partnership can also be tried. Land can be leased for development without transfer of ownership rights. Special development cells can be created within the obsolete BOR which can hardly maintain land record of the vast area under its control.

Instead of handing over land to foreign companies’ local investors should be encouraged to invest. After import of fuel, oil seeds consume a big chunk of foreign exchange which can be saved by establishing local plantations. Olives have been successfully planted in the Salt Range which can cut the import bill of edible oil.

Palm oil plantations can be established in the coastal areas of Balochistan. Cannibalization is bad management and should be avoided. New areas, new approaches and new technologies are the way forward. Need to look at plants that can grow on marginal lands with limited water requirements.

Olive is leading the way; lessons can be learnt to determine future direction to attain self sufficiency in this vital area to ensure both food and fuel security without stressing the age-old existing arrangements. While the coal at Thar can take care of our energy needs, oil bearing plants can turn Cholistan and coastal areas of Balochistan green with minimal use of external water resources.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025