Promotion Of Pulse Cultivation Imperative To Save Heavy Foreign Exchange: Dr Sajid-ur-Rehman

Promotion of pulses cultivation is imperative to save huge foreign exchange, said Dr Sajid-ur-Rehman Director General Agriculture Research Punjab

FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th May, 2025) Promotion of pulses cultivation is imperative to save huge foreign exchange, said Dr Sajid-ur-Rehman Director General Agriculture Research Punjab.

Addressing a seminar organized by Pulses Research Section of Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) here, he said that Pakistan spends billions of rupees annually to import pulses from Australia, Africa and other countries.

He said that import of pulses is an unsustainable burden on the national economy amid current financial challenges. Hence, the pulses cultivation should be promoted locally in irrigated areas which would help in trimming down import bill by catering to domestic food requirements in addition to mitigating financial constraints of the growers.

He said that development of new high-yielding varieties of gram, lentil, mung bean and mash bean along with advanced production technologies, is a step toward reducing reliance on imports.

The AARI scientists in collaboration with Agriculture Extension Officers are bringing these innovations directly to farmers' fields, he added.

Chief Scientist of Pulses Section Dr. Khalid Hussain explained that pulses are not only a critical part of daily diet but also rich in protein, iron and dietary fiber.

He highlighted the environmental benefits of pulses such as nitrogen fixation through root nodules which enhances soil fertility even after the crop is harvested.

He urged the farmers to adopt mixed cropping technologies especially considering climate change and the rising costs of inputs.

He also quoted examples of inter-cropping mung and cowpea with spring sugarcane and gram and lentils with September-planted sugarcane and said that these techniques have been successfully implemented and recommended for wider adoption.

The researchers informed about new high-yielding mung varieties and ongoing efforts in various districts including Chakwal, Attock, Balochistan and Sindh.

The experts also stressed for key agronomic practices from seed selection and sowing time to weed control and pest management and said that it would significantly increase per-acre yields.

Dr. Muhammad Zafar Chief Scientist Sugarcane Section, Dr. Haroon Zaman Khan Associate Professor Agronomy University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), Dr. Muhammad Jawad from Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Dr. Azeem Asad, Dr. Muhammad Aftab from Soil Chemistry, Dr. Amir Ameen, Zia Chishti Director Social Sciences Research Institute Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), Dr. Arshad Bashir, Amir Hussain, Ali Aziz and Dr. Asif Ali Director Agricultural Information were also present on the occasion.