According to an official statement, the Ministry of National Food Safety and Research (NFS & R) proposed to promote grasshopper collection by mobilizing the community to control the grasshopper at basic level.
To combat the local invasion of Pakistan, some reports of which pose a greater threat to the country's economy than the coronavirus pandemic, the government decided on Wednesday to turn swarms of grasshoppers into manure.
NFS & R will pioneer the transformation of the grasshopper crisis into an opportunity to begin developing its organic compost by mobilizing the community.
Grasshopper-based fertilizer has the added benefit of more Nitrogen (9%) and Phosphorus (7%). Initially, the sprinkles remain unaffected by the mobilization of the local community under the incentive program, ”she added.
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Experts from research, expansion, science and civil society are also involved in composting. Standard compost is later made from a mix of grasshoppers and other biowaste.
Market and sales mechanisms are also being developed to promote the use of high-quality organic compost. Pilot tests of the whole idea will be conducted in Cholistan and the Thar Desert over the next three to four summer months, ”the statement said.
Community capacity building will evolve as grasshoppers are caught (digging, netting, vacuuming, etc.). In addition, 50 fundraising sites should be set up to facilitate communities.
"Dry zone centers / institutes of PARC Bahawalpur (29), Tharparkar / Umerkot (42), Lakki Marwat / DI Khan (41) will be involved in the implementation of the project."
Human resources available at various institutes of the Kharan Dryland Center in Baluchistan (27) and the agricultural research institutes of the PARC in Turbat (12), Lasbella (23) and Khuzdar (26) will be involved in the implementation of the project.
The official statement also states that the laboratories of the Land Resources Research Institute (LRRI) and PARC's ecotoxicology program will provide scientific support for the production of standard compost.
PARC Agrotech Company (PATCO) will conduct labeling, packaging, advertising, marketing and branding at national level in collaboration with the private sector. Certified compost products are advertised for export.
The expected results of the project are to improve plant productivity by 10-15%, to reduce the use of recommended fertilizers by up to 25%, to improve soil organic matter, soil fertility and soil fertility. soil health.
The statement says that this program supports organic farming in Pakistan. The plant developed for compost production will be functional in the long term with or without a grasshopper component. Rs 1 billion compost is produced in the first year of the project.
“If 1% of the crop loss is controlled by this project, Rs. 32 billion Take advantage of it. One hundred thousand tons of pasture are used to produce 70,000 tons of compost.
A family home can earn an average of Rs 6,000 per year. Month. The full cost of the project will be refunded within three years. Payment to the community has been made correctly. The project is in the approval phase. "
