HYDERABAD: Agriculture experts and progressive farmers on Wednesday expressed concerns over Pakistan’s increasing vulnerability to climate change, ranking it among the most climate-affected countries globally, with Sindh being the hardest hit province.

They said that while Punjab’s per-acre yield was previously lower than Sindh’s two decades ago, Sindh was facing decline in productivity.

Emphasising the need for research-driven solutions, they said that innovation must align with farmers’ challenges to ensure sustainability and growth in the sector.

They were speaking at the 3rd Farmers’ Day organised by the Seed Production & Development Centre (SPDC) of Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) on Wednesday.

Dr Altaf Ali Siyal, the university’s vice chancellor, underscored global shift in agriculture from smart agriculture to robotic agriculture, marking the fifth stage of agricultural evolution.

He noted while the world was rapidly advancing, Pakistan was still striving to enter precision agriculture, and called for collaborative research initiatives among agricultural institutions to bridge gap and promote modern farming practices.

Nuclear Institute of Agriculture’s director, Dr Mehboob Ali Siyal, highlighted anticipated shifts in climate conditions, emphasising the need for research on climate-resilient seeds to ensure higher yields.

He stressed importance of training farmers in on-field seed production to address ongoing shortage of certified and high-quality seeds.

Sindh Abadgar Board’s senior vice president, Syed Nadeem Shah, said that price increase in agricultural commodities did not seem likely in future. To improve farmers’ livelihoods, he said focus should be on increasing per-acre productivity, he said.

Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department’s regional director, Rizwan Bux Soomro, said that private seed companies were permitted to work on early-generation seed production, urging stakeholders to leverage this opportunity.

Nawaz Nizamani, a progressive farmer and CEO of a seed company, stressed the need for scaling up seed production, advocating for a 40 kg to 40-maund multiplication strategy. He encouraged student engagement in practical fieldwork to enhance their agricultural expertise.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2025