OVER the past five years, farmers in Sindh have consumed maximum fertiliser in the cotton-wheat system, followed by mixed-crop and rice-wheat systems, according to the nutrient off-take data compiled by the National Fertiliser Development Centre.

The nutrient consumption is skewed towards nitrogen (81 per cent), whereas the share of phosphorus is 18pc. The proportional use of potassium is less than 1pc, even as low as 0.5pc in some cases.

The cumulative usage of fertilisers or nutrients in different cropping regions is in the following order: mixed crops, cotton-wheat and rice-wheat.

This divergence when compared with the rapid fertiliser use assessment (RFUA) is attributed to the storage of fertilisers at various locations in Sindh, and because of the selection of four major crops (wheat, rice, cotton and sugarcane) in the RFUA.

About 39pc higher nutrient use has been figured out from the mixed cropping than the rice-wheat region in the RFUA. Moreover, the percentage increase in the use of nutrients or fertilisers in the mixed cropping than the cotton-wheat region is about 26pc.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has for the first time published a ‘Soil Fertility Atlas for Sindh’, which reveals that the use of nutrients in the province is skewed towards nitrogen. Besides, most farmers don’t use micronutrients and organic sources of nutrients.

Moreover, 30pc of the farmers use organic sources of nutrients, predominantly in wheat-based cropping systems, followed by commodities like cotton, sugarcane and fruit orchards, whereas 15pc farmers apply micronutrients regardless of the product quality.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation has for the first time published a ‘Soil Fertility Atlas for Sindh’, which says the use of nutrients in the province is skewed towards nitrogen

Nevertheless, the burning of crop residues and a lack of scientific application of both inorganic and organic sources of nutrients still remain a major concern, the atlas says.

The atlas is a comprehensive document that provides detailed information on cropping patterns, management practices, soil fertility status, trends of the fertiliser use, advisory services and facilities available to farmers.

It also suggests the strategies to maximise productivity while sustaining the soil health and environmental quality.

The FAO has published the atlas in partnership with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The FAO observes that unsustainable management practices have led to the loss of soil fertility and health.

The USDA and the USAID are partnering with their counterparts throughout Pakistan to transfer expertise and technology to improve economic opportunities for farmers and their families.

Moreover, raw materials used in producing fertiliser are also depleting fast; therefore, farmers should adopt best management practices to increase fertiliser use efficiency and improve soil fertility to sustain agricultural productivity, the FAO says.

The farmers in Sindh reported nutrient(s) application in eight different combinations (N only; NP; NPK; NP+MN; NP+FYM; NP+MN+FYM; NPK+MN; NPK+MN+FYM).

Moreover, the addition of each nutrient to individual nutrient use scenario was not translated into the increased yield for the selected crops.

However, the increased use of nutrients presumably enhanced yield in case of wheat. Therefore, further investigations are required in the specific crop production regions to determine suitable nutrient use scenarios for improved efficiency and yield.

The temporal data of banana production shows that overall trends of district-wise yield have been similar in different cropping regions. The districts of Khairpur, Matiari and Thatta are leading with regard to average banana yield.

Irrespective of the cropping regions or districts, banana yield has been stagnant over the last few years.

In case of mango, data shows that overall trends of district-wise yield have been similar in different cropping regions, with the leading districts being Sanghar, Mirpur Khas and Badin.

Irrespective of the cropping regions or districts, mango yield has been stagnant over the last few years.

According to the atlas, soil-related constraints weighted 70pc in the problem-matrix. However, the degree of soil constraints varied in regional scenarios, and generating soil maps may be helpful.

In addition, the development of supporting database would allow moving towards non-destructive approaches for problem assessment and wisdom agriculture.

The spatial distribution of constraints at similar scale could also be used to obtain the cost of lost production using soil-constraint matrix.

In a nutshell, the first two R’s of the desirable 4R nutrient stewardship (i.e. right source at the right rate at the right time in the right place) are usually practised, but the latter two R’s are rarely followed by the farming communities, which results in low nutrient use efficiency and economic returns.

This is the first step forward in the right direction and similar activities should be undertaken in other provinces of the country for achieving the food security and socio-economic uplift. For this purpose, a network of soil, plant, water and fertiliser quality testing facilities to benefit the farming community should be established.

The existing testing laboratories may not be enough to facilitate farmers associated with 7.83 million acres of farm land in Sindh.

Outreach linkages with the farmers may be strengthened for extensive surveys or assessments at the farm-gate level and for applying best management practices according to the 4R soil constraint-based commodity-specific packages.

All the partner organisations are welcome for collaborative efforts to address the adoption of best methodology for nutrient use, and mapping of most responsive crop growth stage.

Certainly, this effort would contribute towards setting a national framework and policy intervention for agriculture and natural resources management under the sustainable development goals, specifically crop production, environment and soil and later for agriculture-related activities.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, September 5th, 2017