Rs980m project to boost farm output: Laser-levelling
By Zafar Samdani
LAHORE, Jan 26: The government of Punjab has sponsored a Rs980 million laser- levelling project to "increase agricultural productivity, extend cultivated area, reduce production costs and alleviate poverty".
The project, which is being implemented by the Department of Agriculture, comprises 60 per cent or Rs655.88m financing by the government and the remaining 40 per cent or Rs325m contribution by farmers, is to be completed by June 2008.
A total of 2,500 laser levelling units are to be provided to farmers and service providers in the irrigated areas of the province to strengthen existing services to level 1.82 million acres during the project period, reducing dykes and ditches that mark agriculture fields and ensure more efficient and productive results from land and water.
Other targets of the project include minimizing labour for irrigation, obtain better farm returns and generate employment in the rural sector with a view to arresting the trend of migrations to urban centres that are already over populated and becoming increasingly unmanageable.
Training would be imparted to about 5,000 farmers and service providers in survey and designing for laser land levelling, farm layout planning and operation and maintenance of laser units.
The planners of the project envisage curtailment of 'irrigation application losses up to 50 per cent' save approximately '2.06 maf water' during project period and reduce labour requirements for irrigation by about 35 per cent.
Other important aspects of the project are increase in crop yields of about 25 per cent and controlling water logging and salinity that has been a perennial problem of the agriculture sector all over in the country and has laid large fertile tract waste in Punjab.
While the provincial agriculture department is the overall in charge of the project, district governments are executing it as agriculture largely falls under their administrative control under the present system of local governments.
While the project holds tremendous promise, its success would hinge on the participation of individual farmers who are to contribute 40 per cent or Rs130,000 towards the cost of one laser-levelling unit. The amount is beyond the means of small farmers. They would be left out in the cold unless financial institutions provide them the resources.
Otherwise, it could be another facility for the already rich members of the farming community, particularly as eligibility criteria for the government's share requires farmers to own a tractor capable of operating a laser unit.
However, the 50 acre limit on land holding for farmers to benefit from the government's financial support may enable medium-level farmers to avail the facility offered under the project.
But every one knows that big landowners know how to circumvent rules and exploit facilities not meant for them to their advantage and usurp the share of small owners and tenants who really need support from the government.
Laser-levelling, a component of conservation technologies was first introduced in Pakistan in the late 80s, started receiving attention of the authorities in the 90s but despite that, only about 125 units are in operation in the province so far.
The area levelled by these units comes to about 168,000 acres. Not much was likely to be achieved from existing resources because the maximum levelling capacity of the 125 units comes to about 35,000 acres per year. Officials worked out that about 2,500 units were required for making a concrete impact on Punjab's agriculture.
Agriculture sector experts feel that successful implementation of the project has the potential to boost productivity in the province by reducing water wastage and cutting down land preparation time for sowing that is now spread over many days. Laser levelling would help prepare fields for cultivation in a much shorter period.
