Country needs to improve agri practices to cut post-harvest losses

ISLAMABAD  -  Pakistan urgently needs to improve agricultural prac­tices to reduce post-harvest losses, which were estimat­ed at around Rs500 billion across major and minor crops last year. Key areas for im­provement include harvest­ing techniques, storage fa­cilities, and infrastructure development such as collec­tion and distribution centres.

Data revealed that staple crops are particularly affected, with wheat experiencing 9% post-harvest losses amounting to Rs158.12 billion. Rice, fac­ing a 15% loss, incurred costs of Rs79.75 billion. Corn also reported a 15% loss, leading to Rs 115.50 billion in losses. Potatoes suffered the highest percentage loss at 19%, cost­ing Rs142.27 billion, while hot pepper (green) losses at 15% amounted to Rs0.75 billion.

The data also reveals that the country lost 2.53 million metric tons of wheat out of a total production of 28.16 mil­lion metric tons and 1.10 mil­lion metric tons of rice with a total output of 7.32 million metric tons. These figures were shared by Sajid Mah­mood, member Biotech and Seed Committee CropLife, at a media workshop arranged by CropLife Pakistan in collabora­tion with the Agricultural Jour­nalists Association (AJA) La­hore on the topic of “Outlook of Agriculture in Pakistan.”

Mahmood highlighted that an annual loss of 40% is at­tributed to weeds, insects, and diseases, which could double without crop protection prod­ucts. He provided a compari­son of post-harvest losses in Pakistan and developed coun­tries, noting that losses in ce­reals and oilseeds in Pakistan range from 8-12% annually, while in India, they are at 10-15%, compared to just 1-2% in the United States. In horticul­tural crops, losses are 35-40% in Pakistan, 30-40% in India, and only 20-23% in the U.S.

To improve post-harvest strategies in Pakistan, Mah­mood suggested enhanc­ing harvesting techniques, upgrading storage facilities with metal bins and silos, developing infrastructure for collection and distribution, implementing proper dry­ing practices before market sales, and ensuring effective transportation with cool­ing and ventilation. He also stressed the importance of policy development to en­sure farmers have access to credit. He also called for de­veloping a policy and ensur­ing farmers’ access to credits to overcome all these issues.

Muhammad Shoaib, anoth­er member Biotech and Seed Committee, discussing the Seed Act (1976), seed rules, Plant Breeders Act 2016 and other rules and regulations in Pakistan stressed the need for further discussion and deliberation on seed regula­tions in the country. He sug­gested that the government should encourage research and development and tech­nology introduction in the country by further facilitat­ing the real R&D companies, rationalizing quantity per import permit (for importing seed for R&D purposes) and rationalizing pest list.

Muhammad Asim, Biotech & Seed Committee Lead, discussing megatrends driv­ing the need for increased productivity and enhanced sustainability, said the popu­lation in South Asia will be over 2 billion by the year 2050 requiring 50 per cent plus more food and feed. However, climate change is causing a 17 per cent loss in crop production and arable land has decreased by 20 per cent. He said that the world needs to introduce climate-resilient crops and new so­lutions for growers and in­troduction of customized outcome-based solutions to achieve the target food and feed. Earlier, CropLife Asia’s Executive Director Siang Hee and Pakistan’s Executive Di­rector Rashid Ahmad spoke about CropLife and its work in different countries to im­prove productivity in the ag­ricultural sector.