According to analysis, soybean-maize intercropping could reduce its import bill by 30% with soybean production in one season. It will bring revolution to Pakistan’s economy by growing it on less water, fertilizer, and land, as stated by oilseed experts during their visit to Bahawalpur from Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), Pakistan Oilseed Development Board (PODB), National Agriculture Research Center (NARC), and Ayub Agriculture Research Institute (AARI).
Prof. Yang Wenyu introduced the Soybean-maize intercropping technology at Sichuan Agricultural University (SAU), which is currently being applied on 100 acres in Pakistan. On a national scale, producing all these crops is not easy, which surprised the experts. But a post-doc Muhammad Ali Raza at SAU, promoting the technology in Pakistan, is doing a good job.
As the experts from China Economic Net (CEN) were inspecting the soybean plants, they commented, “It is amazing to see so many pods on soybean plants. This technology will benefit our farmers.” Implementation Of Soybean-Maize Intercropping in Pakistan
Soybean was introduced to Pakistan in 1969 and cultivated during spring and autumn to produce oil. Ideal areas for soybean cultivation were the Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. Bahawalpur, Chakwal, Islamabad, and Layyah had been arranged distinctly. Yang Wenyu’s team collaborated with Pakistan’s National Agriculture Research Center and PMAS-Arid Agriculture University to produce high-yield demonstrations.
Sichuan Agricultural University, China, introduced Soybean-maize intercropping technology to Pakistan in 2018. With the help of this advanced Chinese technology, Pakistan has been able to reduce soybean imports and ease soybean shortages since four years ago by maximizing the number of crops harvested on the same land area. Soybean production has been like an added ‘bonus,’ helping the country ease soybean shortages and cut down soybean imports.
According to Yang, “High-yield demonstrations in different areas will confirm the technology’s importance and acquire local people and government’s credit.” They are also working on technical parameters, particularly for Pakistan. As agriculture is among the six vital socio-economic fields under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor partnership, they acknowledge the completion of Soybean-maize intercropping technology will hold more benefits for Pakistani and Chinese people in the future.
Soybean-maize intercropping has the sensible potential to boost local soybean production in Pakistan without declining the current maize production. By cultivating 20% of the area through the soybean-maize intercropping technology in spring, Pakistan could lower its soybean import bill by 30% within one season.
Additionally, in the same year, by adopting intercropping soybean with wheat crops in 10% of the wheat-cultivated area, Pakistan could reduce another 15% of its soybean import bill. So, Pakistan can reduce 45% of its soybean import bill just in one year by adopting soybean-wheat intercropping in its 10-20% area. Protein content also increases by intercropping soybean and maize because elevated maize crops will provide some shade to soybean crops which will be the cause for increased accumulation of protein within soybean seeds.
Pakistan can improve its yield by utilizing soybean-maize inter-cropping technology; we can achieve a yield of maize up to 10,500 kg/hectare with a further expansion in soybean production from 1,350 to 1,650 kg/ha in Pakistan’s irrigated areas. In rain-fed regions, the yield of maize and soybean could be up to 6,000 kg/ha and 4,500 to 1,500 kg/ha, respectively, said Wenyu.
Benefits to Agriculture
There are currently 1.3 million acres planted with only maize crops, which is ideal for advancing these technologies. Presently, Pakistan has the highest population density and is the sixth most populous country in the world. Therefore, agriculture is possible on a narrow area of land. In addition to increasing production, planting two crops in the same field also has other benefits. Sunlight also abounds in the country’s agricultural areas, encouraging soybean cultivation. This increase in production would result in Pakistani farmers having a substantial economic advantage.
