Open AccessSocio-Economic and Institutional Factors Influencing Fertilizer Use in the Punjab (Pakistan)
Author(s) -
Abdul Salam
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
pakistan development review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.154
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 0030-9729
DOI - 10.30541/v14i4pp.397-415
Subject(s) - fertilizer , agriculture , agricultural economics , subsidy , hectare , arable land , agricultural productivity , productivity , developing country , irrigation , business , economics , agronomy , geography , economic growth , biology , market economy , archaeology
Application of chemical fertilizers is one of the quickest andsimplest means of increasing farm production. Increased fertilizer usehas been an important factor in increasing crop productivity in thedeveloped countries and in those developing countries which have shownhigh rates of growth in the agricultural sector. The use of chemicalfertilizers in Pakistan started in 1952. With the introduction offertilizer-responsive seeds for wheat and rice crops, and theavailability of additional irrigation water from the installation ofprivate and public tubewells, the use of fertilizers has becomeincreasingly popular. The farmers were further encouraged to increasethe use of fertilizers by a sub¬stantial price subsidy and thepromotional efforts by the government and the fertilizer industry inPakistan. Despite the promotional efforts by the government andfertilizer industry, the application rate of fertilizer in Pakistanremains one of the lowest, even when compared with the fertilizer uselevels in other developing countries. During 1970-71, fertilizer use perhectare of arable land in Pakistan was 15.1 nutrient kilograms. Duringthe same period the rate of fertilizer use in the Philippines, SriLanka, Taiwan, Siouth Korea and Japan was 25.2, 47.3, 243.6,