This situation calls for growing non-conventional oil seed crops along with conventional ones. Sunflower ranks second in the world as a source of vegetable oil after soyabean. Its seed contains high oil content ranging from 35-40 per cent with some varieties yielding up to 50 per cent.
Pakistan is located in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Climate of this region is characterised by high temperature and low rainfall. In irrigated areas, crops suffer from non-availability of water and face drought like situation. Serious shortage of irrigation water is a major obstacle in increasing the cultivation area and production of new crops. Out of 79.1 m ha total area of Pakistan, 4.40 m ha is drought prone. Drought affects sunflower plant both at seedling stage and at the time of maturity. Drought during seedling stage adversely affects the yield in sunflower.
The edible oil import was cut by Rs1.2 billion in 1995-96 by extending cultivation of canola and sunflower to over 300,000 acres. The next year the acreage of the two crops declined sharply shrinking to about 30,000 acres. An effort had been made in 2003 to regain lands lost to edible oil crops, but the picture was murky and international forces discouraged farmers by cutting down palm oil prices undermining the crop’s market and adding to edible oil’s import bill.
The government of Punjab earnestly tried to support these crops but could not fix a price for the produce which was not an encouraging for growers. However, the government can try to ensure that the crop does not become a burden on farmers. It should make effort to find out a solution to the problems faced by the farmers by involving extraction industry and offering it full support. This will help the farmers growing oil seed crops and support the economy by reducing the edible oil imports bill.
Average market procurement rates of sunflower crushing seed per 40 kg in major areas of Sindh, Punjab, NWFP and Balochistan during 2005-06 were as under:
Sunflower Price= rupees per 40 kg
Sindh Punjab NWFP Balochistan
April 746/- — — 792/-
May 740/- 742/- — 680/-
June 707/- 707/- 600/- 720/-
Quality seed is essential for higher yield per unit area. It is possible to enhance production by 10 to 20 per cent by using seed which is viable, healthy, vigorous and free of weeds and diseases. The government should provide resources to research centres involved in the introduction of hybrid seeds with desirable characteristics. The private sector should also be encouraged in production of hybrid seeds of sunflower and making it available to growers.
The acreage of sunflower can be increased by carrying cultivation on marginal lands, inter-cropping and replacement of some traditional crops like rapeseed and mustard.
The Pakistan Oil Seed Development Board was entrusted the task of executing productivity enhancement programme in 1996-97 focusing on area and production expansion. However, the area of production could not be increased. Under the given rice-wheat and cotton-wheat cropping system, cultivators of sunflower are facing problems.
Sowing time of sunflower overlaps cultivation of wheat crop. Farmers prefer wheat because of better support prices and viable marketing system. Maturity period of sunflower overlaps the sowing season of cotton which causes delay in cotton sowing. Hence, farmers are reluctant to cultivate sunflower because delay in cotton sowing causes significant reduction in yield.
Sunflower is an exhaustive crop requiring a lot of fertilizer. Moreover, cotton cultivated after the harvest of sunflower is more prone to pests, insects and diseases. These constraints are hampering the efforts of the government and discouraging the farmers to increase sunflower acreage.
About 6.17 million hectares are salt affected soils, which comprises 60 per cent of cultivable canal command area. It can be managed through incorporation of gypsum and sulphuric or nitric acid in proper quantity and application of proper amount of fertilisers, inclusion of green crops manure in a suitable cropping pattern and deep ploughing with chisel plough to reduce the severity of salinity/sodicity.
Similarly, water-logged and eroded soils can be managed through management practices and made productive for sunflower crop. Similarly, small farmers with 5-12.5 acres who are about 93 per cent of the agricultural community and lack resources can be attracted towards cultivation of sunflower through provision of inputs like seed, fertilisers, irrigation and credit.
Adequate support prices and efficient marketing system can also provide incentives to small farmers to grow sunflower. Inter-cropping of sunflower in wheat, sugarcane and potato can also help increase the area under sunflower cultivation.