PESHAWAR, Nov 1: Salinity and sodality are the prime causes of low yield in most of the important agriculture crops in the country and it is estimated that around 72 per cent of the sodic soils are potentially reclaimable using simple, available, and cheap technology.

This was stated in a study conducted by ministry of water and power on importance of gypsum, its pricing, marketing and distribution.

The objective of the study was to improve the availability and use of gypsum and to combat soil sodality which affects a significant area of the nation’s cultivated and potentially arable land.

The seriousness of the two soil diseases could be gauged from the fact that according to a survey of 16.7 million hectares (MHA) carried out by Wapda from 1976 to 1979, 6.4 MHA or 38 per cent were salt-affected, while major portion of salt-affected soil (4.6 MHA) suffer from sodality as well.

The study reveals that there are sound technical reasons and excellent marketing potential for using gypsum as a corrective amendment on saline-sodic and sodic soils.

“Gypsum is also highly suitable for use where land is being irrigated with poor quality, brackish tubewell water.”

Furthermore, with the resultant action of gypsum in the soil, the losses of nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency. Finally, gypsum is also a readily available source of providing sulphur to boost production of oil seed crops which require comparatively higher amounts of sulphur than other crops.

The study stresses on reviewing current gypsum use and examine the existing gypsum pricing, marketing and distribution systems to identify constraints and determine measures to improve the situation.

A major emphasis has been laid on minimal government intervention to facilitate health market development with no return to erratic price subsidies which appear to have been a major contributing factor to the present poor development of the private sector agricultural gypsum market.

The study also suggested to implement legislation which provides for legally enforceable product standards along the lines used for fertilizers.

Public sector institutions i.e., departments of agriculture extension should be given the primary power and responsibility for monitoring and enforcing compliance.—APP