PASTURE RESOURCE OF PAKISTAN
The total
pasture area in different parts of Pakistan is presented in below table-1. Due
to misuse and centuries of overgrazing, the productivity of rangelands has been
adversely affected. FAO (1987) has reported a critical stocking rate of 16
ha/animal unit for low potential ranges. At present, rangelands are producing
only 10 to 15% of their potential. This low productivity can be increased by
adopting various management practices such as periodic closures, re-seeding,
and improved grazing management etc. Small-holders raise ruminants in limited
numbers in conjunction with food and cash crop production. Although cropping
patterns vary from region to region, they dictate forage quantity and quality
throughout the year.
Pastures resources in irrigated areas
In this system,
cut-and-carry feeding plays a vital role in ruminant production. Every farmer
allocates a piece of land for planting fodder crops in irrigated areas of
Pakistan. Usually milking buffaloes and cows are stall-fed with green fodder
and concentrates. The non-milking and draught animals are maintained on straws,
maize stovers, and community grazing lands. During summer, most land is planted
with sorghum, maize, cotton, rice, and sugarcane. Forage sorghum, millet, and
maize provide the bulk of fodder for stall-feeding. Most of the area after rice
and cotton harvest remains in fallow and is used for grazing of volunteer
species. During winter every farmer plants mixtures of Egyptian clover
(Trifolium aegyptium) and oats (Avena sativa) according to the land holding and
herd size. Mixtures of berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) with rice and wheat
straw also provide feed during winter. Other crop residues such as dry maize
and sorghum stalks, sugar cane tops, and rice stubble are also a component of
livestock diets. With the increased demand for milk, meat, and other dairy
products, some farmers cultivate large areas with lucerne (Medicago sativa),
berseem, oats, maize, and sorghum around the big cities and sell green fodder
to farmers raising buffaloes and dairy cows. Urban cattle also graze on
vegetable and fruit wastes. Community and government wastelands are utilized to
some extent.
Pasture resources in rainfed areas
Nearly 24% of
the rainfed tract of the country is unfit for agronomic or forestry crops due
to unfavourable soil or climatic conditions. These large areas of land produce
grasses and bush. Livestock alone are capable of utilizing this extensive and
renewable natural resource. Animal husbandry thus occupies a vital place in the
economy of the rainfed areas. Natural grazing on the vast rangelands provides
about 20% of the nutritional requirements of cattle and 60% of that of sheep
and goats. The flocks and herds of the land-less farmers subsist almost
entirely on the rangelands. However, they have been badly over-grazed, and
palatable species of grass have perished and been replaced by vegetation that
livestock do not relish. The carrying capacity of rangelands has thus been
greatly reduced to 10 to 50% of potential.
Table-1: Area or Rangelands in Pakistan
|
Province
|
Total Area (M ha)
|
Rangeland Area (M ha)
|
Percentage of Provincial Area (%)
|
|
Balochistan
|
34.7
|
27.4
|
79
|
|
Sindh
|
14.1
|
7.8
|
55
|
|
Punjab
|
20.6
|
8.2
|
40
|
|
KPK
|
10.2
|
6.1
|
60
|
|
Northern Areas
|
7.0
|
2.1
|
30
|
|
Azad Kashmir
|
1.3
|
0.6
|
45
|
|
Total
|
88.0
|
45.2
|
51
|
Source: FAO,
Pakistan.
The number of
animals grazed is 3–4 times the carrying capacity of the rangelands. This not
only causes a very poor state of health and production of livestock, but also
widespread denudation and damage from water and wind erosion. The situation is
further aggravated by the seasonal migration of large numbers of animals
belonging to nomadic grazers, such as the Bakarwals from Kaghan (who spend the
winter in the Pothwar and salt grass rangelands) and the nomadic tribes from
Baluchistan and even Afghanistan in the D.G. Khan piedmont areas. The herders
exploit the rangelands and contribute little to the conservation, sustainable
utilization or improvement of the rangelands. Supplementary feed must be
provided to the livestock, especially during periods of drought and scarcity.
For instance, perennial grasses, such as sudan grass, Bajra Napier hybrid, or
sorghum hybrids could be grown on part of the cultivated land. Green fodder
from these crops could be cut during the dry periods to improve feed supply
during the lean period. Rapeseed can provide green fodder during January and
February, even in drier areas. A system of mixed farming is practised in some
areas of this system, with crop and livestock husbandry very intimately
integrated. This is reflected in the cropping pattern. Although separate areas
of land are not set aside for fodder crops, there is often an admixture of
crops with a view to obtaining some fodder for supplemental feeding of
livestock. In large parts of the Barani areas during winter, the wheat and
barley crops have admixtures of rapeseed, chickpeas, and mustards. The summer
crops have admixtures of maize, millets, sorghum, and guar. Some part of every
crop is fed to livestock. This pattern of agriculture has several effects:
• Makes it
possible for nutrients from the soil to be derived from two levels due to
differing depths of the root systems.
• Increases soil
fertility by combining cereals with leguminous crops that have the ability to
increase soil nitrogen through the microbes in their root systems.
• Avoids total
crop failure in case of absence of rains because of the generally lower water
requirements of the crops from which fodder is obtained. One or two cuttings
are often obtained from wheat etc. for fodder purposes. This cropping pattern
has evolved to meet the food and market requirements in a traditional setting.
Pasture resources in natural rangelands
The vegetation
of Pakistan has great complexity, comprising a wide variety of vegetation
types, including desert, tropical, Mediterranean, and temperate ecosystems.
These rangelands extend from temperate alpine pastures in the northern areas,
to Mediterranean rangelands in the western mountains, and to the semi-arid and
desert lands of the Indus Valley. Elevation ranges from sea level in the Thar
Desert of Sindh Province to over 8800 m in the northern mountain region of the
Himalayas. The rangelands of Pakistan have been divided into five major groups
(FAO, 1987; Mohammad, 1989; Umrani et al., 1995). A brief description of each
group is given below.
(a) Sub-alpine temperate zone. This
zone lies between 2 000 m altitude and the snow line in Azad Jammu, Kashmir,
Swat, Kaghan valleys, and northern areas. These areas provide excellent forage
for livestock grazing during summer growing seasons (Khan, 1979). The major
improved grass species found in the rangelands are Festuca arundinacea, Lolium spp., and Potarium sanguiserba.
(b) Sub-tropical humid zone. The
sub-tropical humid zone is represented by chir pine forests but kail forests
also occur on relatively higher slopes in Northern Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.
The altitude varies from 1 000 to 2 000 m. Winters are very cold and grazing is
only possible for 2–3 months during the summer season. The dominant introduced
grass species are Chloris gayana and Dicanthium annulatum.
(c) Sub-tropical sub-humid zone. The
sub-tropical sub-humid zone covers Pothwar tract and the Salt Range. Soil
erosion is a major problem. The zone has high potential for range re-seeding.
The major introduced grass species include Chrysopogon
aucheri, Chyrosopogon montanus, Panicum antidotale, Cenchrus ciliaris,
Cymbopogon jawarancusa, Pennisetum lanatum, Cynodon dactylon, Saccharum
apontaneum and Aristida depressa.
(d) Arid, semi-arid desert plains. The
Thal, Cholistan, D. G. Khan and Tharparker are located in this zone. High
temperatures and wind erosion are major constraints. Rangelands in this zone
have been heavily over-grazed by local livestock. The major introduced grass
species are Cenchrus ciliaris, Lasiurus
sindicus, and Pennisetum orientale.
(e) Mediterranean zone. The high lands
of Balochistan including Quetta and Kalat Divisions are located in the zone.
Low and erratic rainfall of less than 300 mm is received during winter. Nomadic
and local livestock graze these rangelands heavily. The important grass species
include Agropyron desertorum, Chrysopogon
aucheri, and Elmus junceus.
Seed Production for Pasture Species
Pakistan
possesses optimum climatic conditions for seed production of various pasture
species. Despite a range of research programmes in all four Provinces of
Pakistan, conscious efforts have not been made to produce sufficient quantities
of seeds of the required forage grasses and legumes. The main reason may be
absence of a local market for pasture seeds. On the other hand, Pakistan
produces sufficient quantities of seeds of cultivated fodder cereals and legumes
(Khan and Bhatti, 1996). Also, private seed companies produce and import seeds
of some cultivated fodder crops.
