Maize-soybean strip intercropping tech to bring ‘green revolution’ in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Maize-soybean strip intercropping technology will bring about a new ‘Green Revolution’ for the production of maize and soybean in Pakistan on less water, land and fertilizer.

This was stated by oilseed experts from Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), National Research Agricultural Center (NARC), Ayub Agriculture Research Institute (AARI) and Pakistan Oilseed Development Board (PODB) during their visit to the demonstrative plots in Bahawalpur.

According to China Economic Net (CEN), after checking the soybean plants, “it’s amazing to see so many pods on soybean plants. The technology has great potential to increase crop yields and the total crop area, which will be beneficial to our farmers,” said the experts.

Maize-soybean strip intercropping technology, developed by Prof. Yang Wenyu at Sichuan Agricultural University (SAU), is being applied to 100 acres of land in Pakistan this season.Managing all these crops well on a national scale, which surprised the experts, is not easy, but Muhammad Ali Raza, post-doc at SAU who is promoting the technology in Pakistan, is doing a good job.

“That’s because I’ve got professional training at Sichuan Agricultural University, and my professor Yang Wenyu, my university, Dr. Gu Wenliang, Agricultural Commissioner at the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, have been supporting me a lot,” Muhammad Ali Raza said with confidence and gratitude.

In answer to the experts’ inquiry about why this technology is so pivotal for future soybean production in Pakistan, “because in our country we are not growing soybeans due to many reasons, while this technology gives us two kind of crops at one time on the expense of one crop.We believe our technology is the only possible way to increase soybean production area in Pakistan,” Muhammad Ali Raza said.