HYDERABAD, March 17: Agriculture experts have pointed out that productivity loss due to soil degradation over three decades had reached 12 per cent. They were speaking at the opening session of the 10th congress of soil scientists on "Management of Natural Resources for Food Security" at the Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, on Tuesday.

The Speakers called for adopting measures against soil degradation including effective farm management. Sindh minister for food and agriculture, Arif Mustafa Jatoi, said that increased use of fertilizers and pesticides and inefficient water management practices had not only increased cost of production but also reduced profit of grower.

"The solution lies in effective farm management on modern lines without disturbing resource base such as land and environment, long-term sustainable agriculture production and marketability produce at fair price", Mr Jatoi observed.

He said that the situation needed urgent attention and a sustainable solution to the problems being confronted by agriculture sector in the country. Mr Jatoi said that topics such as Alkaline and acid sulphate salts, river salinity, irrigation salinity and secondary salting should be paid attention.

Soil Science Society of Pakistan president Dr Nisar Ahmed said that decayed soil resources could be conserved by sustainable land management. "The productivity loss due to degradation over three decades has been estimated at 12 percent out of total production of irrigated land", he said.

He said the irrigation water withdrawals normally far exceed the consumptive water use because of water losses during the journey of water from its source to crops.

He said: "In Pakistan 30 to 50 per cent people live on fragile lands and the population has doubled since 1950." He said that direct and indirect causes of land degradation were linked with population growth and poverty.

The limited land resources and increase in rural population resulted in small farms, low production and increase in the number of landless peasants, he added.