ISLAMABAD: Pakistan can achieve food security through sustainable food production, food experts at a lecture titled ‘Food Security and Need for Good Agricultural Practices in Crop Production’ said on Monday.

They agreed that soil-borne pests should be controlled by developing a crop rotation system and through rational use of fertilisers.

“Food security is one of the bigger challenges facing the world today,” Charge d’ Affaires at the Embassy of the Netherlands Renate Pors said, adding that though the Netherlands was a small country, it focuses on achieving food security. She said the country has good agricultural productivity and that the country had good experts in associated technologies as well.

The Netherlands is sharing expertise with Pakistan through various public interactions, she said.

Talking of her country, she said: “It is one of the biggest food exporters in the world. It is part of our policy to share the scientific research done in the Netherlands on food security, which this lecture will contribute to.”

Also speaking at the lecture was Dutch food security expert Romke Wustman who said that a minimum dose of herbicides should be used to hinder the growth of weed.

His lecture was based more on the production of potatoes.

“Developing potato varieties which are cyst resistant can have a good impact on the yield,” he said, adding that the consumption of potatoes in Pakistan has grown over the last decade, and yet 99pc of farmers grow potatoes from non-certified seeds.

Ensuring the use of technology at all stages of production, including storage, can benefit farmers and other stakeholders, he said.

The agricultural sector provides for the livelihood of 45pc of the country’s population and potato is the fourth most important crop by volume of production and has become increasingly important for farmers and consumers in Pakistan.

 

Source: http://www.dawn.com/news/1250075