Pakistani rice farmers were using 3,000 litre water for production of one kg rice while Chinese farmers were applying 1,200 litre water per one kg rice.
This was disclosed by chief guest Professor Dr Bashir Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) in an international seminar on "Conservation Agriculture" organised by Water Management Research Centre at New Senate Hall here on Thursday.
He said that this was a challenge for Pakistani scientists to develop conservation technology for efficient use of water and for enhancement of productivity. Furthermore, continuous food supply was threatened due to increased cropping infertility, land degradation, lack of new farmland and limited input resources particularly the water in the country.
He said that the wheat and rice were the principal cereals and main source of food for the South Asia including Pakistan. Rice-wheat cropping provides food and livelihood for millions of rural and urban population including poor and land less across some 13.5 million hectares in South Asia. Rice and wheat contributed 80 percent of total cereal production and were critical to food security in the region.
Professor Dr Bashir Ahmad said that over the next 17 years, the demand for wheat and rice in South Asia was expected to grow at 2.02 and 2.49 percent per year, respectively, requiring continuous efforts to increase production and productivity. "Continuous food supply was threatened due to increased cropping infertility, land degradation, lack of new farmland and limiting input resources particularly the water" he added.
Earlier Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Gill, Director General OFWM Punjab in his keynote address pointed out that Punjab has 20.63 million hectare agricultural land resources but more than 19 percent of land resources were not being utilised properly due to non availability of water.
He also pointed out that out of 56 MAF water resources, the Punjab agricultural sector was wasting more than 10 percent water due to non-alignment of water channels and other reasons. He urged the need for efficient use of water for enhancing productivity of wheat and rice. He said that through zero tillage technology, bed plantation and lesser levelling we can save more water for our needs and can obtain high productivity of crops.
Indian scientist and facilitator co-ordinator, rice-wheat consortium for the Indo-Gangetic plain, Dr R.K. Gupta also spoke on conservation agriculture. He said that increasing population in South Asia was a serious threat for our coming generation and was causing troubles for future planners. He said that it was speculated that by 2025 about 17 million-hectare of irrigated rice area in Asia might experience physical water scarcity and 22 Mha economic scarcity.
Similarly it was projected that the global rice consumption in 2020 would be increased by 35 percent from the level of 1995, whereas water availability over this period would expect to fall from 72 to 62 percent globally and from 83 to 73 percent in developing countries, thus threatening the sustainability of irrigated agriculture, food security and livelihood of rice producers and consumers.
Dr J.K. Ludha, wheat co-ordinator and Irri representative in India said that in the Indo-Gangetic plains, wheat was commonly grown in rotation with rice or other crops like cotton, using traditional methods of flat sowing and flood irrigation. The unplanned irrigation methods lead to leeching of native and applied nutrients, aeration and restriction of plant root and shoot growth due to the development of hard soil. He suggested that these factors were threatening the sustainability of the rice wheat cropping systems in the region.
Dr Rai Niaz Ahmad, Director, WMRC in his welcome address highlighted the main features and objectives of this international seminar. He also gave detailed brief on wheat bed plantation technology for water saving more than 50 percent.
Sultan Noorani President All Pakistan Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association also spoke on the occasion. A large number of agri engineers, scientists and senior faculty members attended the ceremony.