HYDERABAD: Agriculture and soil experts speaking at a programme expressed their concern over a rapid adverse impact on soil productivity due to wrong application of fertilisers and pesticides, warning that `we are poisoning theland`.The programme titled `Soil: where food begins` was organised at the Sindh Agriculture University (SAU), Tandojam, on Tuesday by its department of soil science, in collaboration with the Soil Science Society of Pakistan and Farm Advisory Centre of the FFC.

SAU vice chancellor Dr Fateh Marri said that agriculture was only sector that could contribute more to progress and development but due to indifference towards modern agriculture and a lack of training to farmers, soil fertility was declining due to use of wrong fertilisers and pesticides.

He said that experts must play their role in protecting soil by advis-ing and ensuring use of organic fertilisers to maintain life of agriculture land. He said that evaluation of fertiliser use, especially quality of imported fertilisers, should be made mandatory.

Dr Inayatullah Rajpar, dean of faculty of crop production and soil, said that soil degradation, lack of knowledge about use and importance of fertilisers among farmerswasincreasingsoil-related problems.

Presenting her paper on soil, Prof Dr Mehrunisa Memon, the chairperson of soil science department, said that 95pc of food came from soil but avoiding use of organic fertilisers was causing adecline in productivity. In their bid to get higher yields, growers were putting their lands at risk.

She called for promoting use of organic fertiliser to restore soil`s health. She said that evaluation should be done on a scientific basis to meet soil`s requirement of minerals and nutrients.

Shafique-ur-Rahman, head of FFC`s Farm Advisory Centre, said that shortcuts were being adopted to get more production and this had ultimately reduced the productivity lifecycle by 30 to 35 years. During the last 10 years, climate change and other issues, besides gradual increase in population,led to staggeringincreaseinthe number of people being affected by hunger; around two billion people were affected by food insecurity in the world.

Dr Hafizullah Babar, director of the Soil Fertility Institute at the Sindh Agriculture Research Institute, said that `we consider earth as our mother but we ourselves are killing it by poisoning it`. He said that elimination of nutrients from soil was an alarming situation so biodiversity should be prioritised and experts should take the responsibility.

Dr Ghulam Murtaza Jamro, the general secretary of the Soil Science Society of Pakistan and others also spoke.