June 28, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 23, 1429

THATTA, June 27: Speakers at a one-day seminar on “Plantation of coconut and palm oil farms in the coastal belt zone,” have suggested that the distribution of government land among the poor can yield significant results.

Addressing the seminar which was held here on Friday, Pakistan People’s Party MNA Dr Abdul Wahid Soomro said that despite having a strong agriculture base and one of the largest irrigation networks in the world, Pakistan had to spend a large amount on the import of edible oil.

Out of the total imports, the lion’s share goes to palm oil imports, which are mainly from Malaysia, while other imports of edible oil include soybean, canola and sunflower, he added.

Dr Soomro said that nature had been kind to Pakistan and the soil and climatic conditions of the coastal areas in Sindh, especially the Thatta district, offer great opportunities for speedy growth of coconut and oil palm trees.

The plantation of coconut and oil palm trees along coastal areas would not only make the country self-sufficient in edible oil, but would also help overcome the problem of declining trend in Pakistan’s forest sector.

Forest conservationist Riaz Ahmed Wagan said that the plantation of coconut trees requires a small investment as compared to other costly crops and this could significantly help reduce poverty.

He said coconut is a perennial crop and its economic life is generally over 60 years in the case of commercially popular varieties. Coconut trees display great variability in nut yields, with an average of roughly 60 nuts per tree per year.

“The best soils for coconut trees are deep loamy soils, rich in plant nutrients,” he said and added that water-logged and sodic saline soils need to be reclaimed before carrying out plantation.

The coastal climate of Sindh is favourable in the vicinity of 50 miles. He said that the Sindh forest department also created a coconut division with its headquarters at Thatta in 1982.

The plan for a coconut plantation in Sindh was implemented during 1982-88. Under the scheme, a coconut plantation of improved varieties was established on government land at Gharo over an area of 95 acres.

High quality seeds of tall and hybrid varieties were imported from Sri Lanka and seedlings were provided to farmers of that region at subsidised rates. A replacement project was started in 1988-89 where plantation has been increased to 225 acres.

The Regional Manager of the Pakistan Oilseed Development Board Thatta, Ansar Ahmed Lund, and the DFO, Thatta Anwar Baloch, said that coconuts are grown in nearly 90 countries spread along the tropical belt.

According to them, there are many opportunities in the coconut sector in which small-scale producers can add value to coconuts through diversification, technology improvements and enhanced market access.