ZAHID BAIG & ITRAT BASHIR

LAHORE: Lance Wang, Vice President of Monsanto ASEAN and Pakistan, has termed the lack of awareness and proper understanding of new technological advancements in agriculture a major hurdle in its adoption.

He was talking to Business Recorder during his recent short visit to Pakistan. Wang who has been with Monsanto for more than 24 years said that considering the complexity of Asia-Africa market, which largely comprises of subsistence farming, it is important to reach out to farmers and engage them in a manner that makes the adoption process easier for them. “This requires intense effort around farmer education and capacity building,” he added.

He said, “Monsanto realizes the importance of driving growth in small holder markets and focuses on enabling the farmers to produce more from their land while conserving natural resources. Our ‘serving smallholders’ strategy facilitates transfer of agronomic knowledge through innovative means and provides networking opportunities with other value chain participants, so they can fully capitalize on the opportunities offered by modern agricultural technology. For example, we organize learning centers and farmer expos during both the maize crop seasons. These events provide farmers the opportunity to experience, firsthand, our latest crop technologies and participate in classroom style capacity building sessions run by experts. We also take great care in providing farmers a holistic learning experience by facilitating linkages with other key players of the value chain, including micro finance institutions, farm service providers, machinery manufacturers, grain millers and silage producers.”

When asked about the Monsanto’s approach towards smallholder farmer outreach and engagement, Wang said that there are a range of programmes that aim to overcome the technological barriers and learning limitations through awareness and exposure. “For example, Monsanto Pakistan’s Farmer Ambassador Programme, ‘Numberdaar’, engages progressive farmers from corn growing belt and encourages them to act as change agents for the proliferation of best farming practices amongst the broader farming community.

Talking about Monsanto’s role in delivering agriculture technology and innovation to smallholder farmers, he said that they fully appreciate the role of small-hold farmers in the agriculture value chain.

“Therefore, much of our research and existing technology platforms aim to address small-hold farmer needs. We like to call such technologies ‘scale-neutral’, allowing small farmers to gain the same benefits when compared to a large corporate farm employing that technology. Biotechnology is a great example of one such technology platform, whereby farmers benefit from useful traits that provide their crop protection against insect and weed infestations. This of course leads to greater farm productivity and profitability for the farmer,” he added.

Wang averred that Pakistan has done remarkably well in developing its maize crop, especially in Punjab. He said that this has only been made possible by the concerted efforts of multinational seed companies, such as theirs, introducing high yielding hybrid seeds to the farmers in Pakistan during the later part of 1990s.

“Consequently, there was a steady increase in yields, attracting more and more farmers towards cultivating maize. Within 15 years 95 percent of corn cropping area in Punjab was under hybrid seed cultivation. According to statistics published by Punjab Agriculture Department, the area under maize cultivation has almost doubled between 1995 and 2015, going from 0.83 million acres to over 1.6 million during the period. Similarly, average yield in Punjab was recorded at 14 maunds per acre in 1995, which now stands at a staggering 60 maunds per acre, showing fourfold increase over the past 20 years. Our sustained investment in seed research and development together with high stewardship standards, have been key drivers behind this success.”

According to him, while the impact of the corn crop on the rural economy and farmer livelihoods is self-evident, its implications with respect to downstream industry and processors are more profound and far reaching. For example, the poultry industry is the largest consumer of corn grain in Pakistan, utilizing 65 percent of the total production as poultry feed. In recent years, the poultry industry has exhibited eight-10 percent year-on-year growth, much of it fueled by the steady supply of quality corn grain in the domestic market. With improving economics of poultry production, the industry has emerged as the foremost source of cheap and accessible animal protein for the populace. This contribution is also evidenced in Food and Agriculture Organization’s nutrition indicators for Pakistan, showing 20 percent increase in daily per capita consumption of animal source proteins across the country since 2001.

He foresaw the role of smallholder farmers vital in Pakistan, which will evolve with passage of time. “With the gradual move towards adoption of modern agricultural technologies, the role of small holder farmers is expected to become more vital. The future of agricultural economy does not only seem profitable but also very exciting, as we will get to witness how the transformation of agriculture through technology will contribute towards growth in rural economy and improvement in farmers’ livelihoods,” he added.