PESHAWAR: WTO challenge for farm products discussed
PESHAWAR, Nov 25: Misuse of pesticides and some technical and scientific mistakes have damaged the agriculture sector, which poses a big challenge for local farm products to compete in the world after enforcement of the WTO agreement on Jan 1, 2005.
This was the crux of discussion at a seminar entitled 'Integrated Crop Management' held at a local hotel on Thursday. The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKSRP), in coordination with the Agriculture Research Station (ARS), Chitral, had organised the event to share experiences of researchers.
AMONG SPEAKERS WERE: Agriculture Research System Director-General Mohammad Amin, Ms Nadira Khwaja of the AKRSP, scientific Officer Shakeel Ahmad, Swiss delegate Ms Ester Haldimann, Iftikhar Hussain and others.
During the one-day seminar, participants were introduced to implementation of the integrated crop management in Chitral, major pests of apples, rearing beneficial pests, apple diseases, advocacy of farmers and some innovative projects launched to alleviate poverty in the area.
They were also briefed on the favourable and geographical, and climatic conditions of the district They were also told how agriculturists of the valley were struggling against pests and diseases threatening the quality and production level of their farms.
Many participants were agreed that ill-planned and indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides have aggravated the situation by eliminating beneficial insects, which are natural control against pests. Frequent use of agro-chemicals has also been attributed to this situation.
Farmers were advised against the use of pesticides as they were not only expensive, but also environment and health hazards. The AKRSP with support of some other departments had initiated the integrated crop management programme in 1999 with the sole objective to provide technical expertise to farmers. The participants were told that the programme was a cropping strategy that conserved the environment while economically producing safe and wholesome food.