Switching over to organic system

Published September 30, 2002

WITH THE emerging global demand of the organically -produced food items, Pakistan having a variety of farms and farming practices, has a great potential to avail the benefits accrued therefrom.

Strangely enough, in organic farming, agricultural commodities can be produced without the use of some of the traditional inputs, like chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). On the contrary, an organic enterprise is supplemented only by fertilizers and pesticides not liable to kill or reduce the activity of soil organisms> Using more labour and less capital, organic farming is characterised as “low-input and low-output” sort which is capable of producing quality items.

In organic farming, fertility is restored by putting crop residues back into land and replacing chemical fertilizers by composite, se-weeds and fish manures while controlling pests and diseases by observing the principle of rotation of crop and maintaining high standard of management on firms.

In organic livestock breeding, stocks are kept mixed and fed preferably on home produced crops without using concentrated feeds and artificial growth aids like harmonic implants also. The use of antibiotics is kept limited and adopted only when some sever out-break overcomes the natural immune systems of the stock.

Faced with the havoc of ‘mad-cows’ and ‘foot and mouth’ diseases, commonly associated to GMO technology, consumers in developed countries have been increasingly wary of the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides which are integral parts of modern farming. To avoid the risk/exposure to chemicals, consumers in rich countries are increasingly switching to organic foods and fibre products.

The survey report on the trend, 2001, published by the National Marketing Institute in cooperation with the Organic Trade Association mentioned that retail sales of organic products in the USA have grown steadily for the past ten years, showing compounded annual growth of 22.7 per cent helping growth at conservative rate of 20 per cent. The retail sales organic foods in 2001 are projected at $9.3 billion. By 2005, sales are projected to reach nearly $20 billion in view of the emerging demand. The Dutch authorities have planned to transform around 10 per cent of their total cultivation area to organic farming by the year 2005.

The world trade in organic bananas increased markedly in 2000. Total exports were estimated at about 65,000 tonnes, 50 per cent from their level in 1999. This strong growth resulted from the coordination of both factors: supply and demand. On the supply side, output of organic bananas continued to increase in many companies that were previously in transition.

The high price for organic bananas in 1998 and 1999 had given conventional banana growers incentives to convert their production areas to organic farms. On demand side, sales of organic bananas benefited from the rapidly growing demand for organic foods in major industrialised countries.

Possibility: A great possibility to produce food and fibre crops organically in Pakistan which is basically an agricultural country. A beginning may be made by producing higher value exportable ‘kitchen items’ followed by staple crops on the selected fields. There also exist bright chances of adopting organic system of cultivation. In fact, farming practices at some places are very much close to the organic approach. Most of the irrigated lands with their intact biological conditions can better be utilized for undertaking organic enterprises. Moreover, a number of farmers are already engaged in producing organic agricultural products, at least for their own use. Some other advantages that could lead to the option of organic farming, are: (a) availability of Labour at cheaper rates, (b) availability of un-exploited resources of land and, (c) the least exposure of agriculture to the GMOs.

Pakistan is already exporting a sizable quality of fruits and vegetables to Gulf states, Europe and the Far-East region. During financial year 2001, $115.6 million were earned through exports of fruits and vegetables. With domestic environment being conducive for producing organic fruits, vegetables and certain items of livestock products, Pakistan can successfully be introduced as a competitive supplier of organic products by launching a forceful marketing campaign in the international market.

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