Khalid Saeed Wattoo

The paradox of bountiful harvests

In a food-insecure country, farmers deliberately destroy hundreds of thousands of tonnes of crop. Published 29 Apr, 2024 06:59am

ANALYSIS: Fruits production on a downward spiral

Cultivation declines as farmers favour high-return field crops over fruits. Published 22 Apr, 2024 07:18am

Tone-deaf policies and changing cropping patterns

Policies to encourage specific crops while disregarding critical factors are ineffective as farmers shift towards their preferred options. Updated 08 Apr, 2024 09:59am

Mechanisation-led rural employment crisis

As cropping intensity and the usage of farm machinery rises, demand for labour dwindles in the villages. Published 25 Mar, 2024 05:48am

AI in agriculture

Pakistan desperately needs to enhance the production and supply of quality food at affordable prices to meet the... Published 22 Jan, 2024 07:55am

Using SIFC to develop agriculture sector

Considering the complicated processes involved, undertaking corporate farming is easier for an investor than agro-industry. Published 02 Oct, 2023 07:44am

Energy security through biofuels

Indigenous crops like maize and sugarcane can offer promising opportunities if their production and recovery rates are increased. Published 18 Sep, 2023 07:08am

High time to reduce food loss

Food loss at various stages in the mango value chain exceeds 35pc, while in the tomato value chain it is even higher. Published 14 Aug, 2023 07:39am

Importance of farm mechanisation

Farmers will have no other option but to increase mechanisation to cope with the adverse effects of climate change. Published 07 Aug, 2023 08:35am

Agriculture: Changing grain markets dynamics

Farmers now prefer selling their produce to traders/agents at the farm gate or directly to processors. Published 10 Jul, 2023 07:13am

Effects of currency devaluation on agri

Currency devaluation has increased crop production costs due to price hikes in agricultural inputs. Published 03 Jul, 2023 07:15am

From farm to fork

The scattered regulatory approach to reduce food loss and waste can’t yield tangible results Published 05 Jun, 2023 07:06am

Higher cropping intensity to ensure food security

Country’s per capita availability of arable land has decreased from 0.65 hectares in 1961 to just 0.14 hectares in 2020. Published 22 May, 2023 07:03am

Enhancing farmers’ market power

Govt should announce MSP for at least those crops where Pakistan has a comparative advantage along with sizable local production. Updated 15 May, 2023 09:50am

Surge of informal crop stockists

People with disposable cash are now storing produce, considering it a relatively low-risk income-generating activity. Published 01 May, 2023 08:23am

Blending for food security

Mixing 10pc maize flour with wheat flour would lower prices and decrease the balance of payment deficit. Published 17 Apr, 2023 07:04am

Mismanaging a big slice of the pie

Huge resource transfers caused by implicit taxes have adversely affected farmers’ income. Updated 03 Apr, 2023 11:07am

Upskilling farm workers

With greater use of technology, the sector is becoming more capital-intensive, inevitably demanding trained labour. Published 13 Feb, 2023 07:12am

Agriculture: Food security through climate-smart agriculture

In Pakistan, a clear consensus does exist amongst relevant stakeholders for making necessary changes to the agriculture system. Published 30 Jan, 2023 08:10am

The challenge of shrinking farm sizes

In Pakistan, the average farm size has steadily declined from 5.3 hectares in 1971 to 2.6 hectares in 2010 Published 09 Jan, 2023 08:33am