The production of wheat has increased 24.3 million tons from 16.9 million tons, rice's production increases to 7.0 million tons from 4.0 million tons and the cotton's production increases to 14.3 million bales from 10.6 million bales during the last fifteen years.
Addressing the international seminar on "Crop Management: Issues and Option", Dean Professor Dr Muhammad Ashfaq Faculty of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad said that Pakistan is divided into 12 agronomical zones. He urged the scientists to produce more researches keeping in view agronomical zone to increase the production of the country. He said that the global warming has hit across the globe so we should fight it by taking measure and with the help of modern techniques.
He said cotton leaf curl virus and insect pressure were and are the hazards. Despite high population growth and other adversaries we have plenty of food supplies and other commodities.
Dr Muhammad Hanif, Former Agriculture Development Commissioner, said the support price of wheat remained below or at marginal level of the cost of production almost during 1992 to 2009. When it was raised to Rs 950, there was a quantum jump in wheat production.
The price of wheat was Rs124 in year 1992, Rs 160 in year 1994, Rs 173 in year 1996, Rs240 in year 1997-, Rs300 in year 2000, 350 in 2004-, 400 on 2005 and Rs 625 in 2008.
Dr Muhammad Hanif stressed the need to focus on hydride as the average yield of spring maize from hybrid seeds in Punjab is 8 tons per ha whereas India has developed hybrid basmati rice, increasing yield by 50pc and China has developed rice hybrids that are yielding 20 tons/ha, almost six times of our coarse rice.
He said the real foundation of agriculture in this country was established in 1960s. The major accomplishments during this decade include signing of Indus Basin Treaty with India-196o, establishment of Agriculture University Faisalabad-1960, establishment of provincial Agriculture Research institutes-1961 and Commissioning of Mangla Dam-1967. The average annual growth rate of agriculture sector during sixties was 5.1pc. He said, "we have been playing on fiddle and have failed to add a single litre of irrigation water to our reservoirs after 1977".