he large-scale corporate agriculture farming (CAF) launched recently under an arrangement with the armed forces has surprised many, including Tariq Bashir Cheema, the federal minister for national food security and research.

In his televised speech at the launching ceremony of a major corporate farming venture in Khanewal district, which was also attended by the chief of army staff, Cheema asked the COAS when the spade work for the initiative had started. “It came as a surprise to me and the prime minister. We discussed the inauguration of this model farm only a couple of days ago. Both of us had been unaware about its development. Ideally, we should have initiated the large-scale farming project. However, we are glad that by launching a major initiative, the organisers have taken the lead in collective development,” he said.

In Pakistan, agriculture revolves around the management of two primary resources, namely land and water. Let’s first talk about land with respect to corporate farming being developed by FonGrow, a subsidiary of the Army Welfare Trust’s Fauji Foundation.

On a visit to the site of the first mega farm, being developed near Pirowal in Khanewal district, 305 kilometres from Lahore, the media team was impressed by its sheer magnitude. The 2,250 acre-corporate farm is located next to the Khanewal toll plaza on the National Highway and the Dera Taj railway station on the main railway line has been positioned at the centre of the country.

The Pirowal farm is going to be expanded further in the near future to 5,000 acres. The contrast with about 90 percent of farms in Pakistan, which have an area of less than 12.5 acres, is stark. In the Punjab, where smaller farms are the norm, farms smaller than five acres make up two-thirds of the cultivated land.

To understand the availability of the second primary input, water, we need to first look at the location of this farm in terms of its proximity to existing water bodies. Situated in the furthest triangular tip of Bari Doab, the fertile land in Khanewal district borders the confluence of Rivers Chenab and Ravi to the north. On the western side, Rivers Jhelum and Chenab come together at the upstream Trimmu Barrage. To the south lies River Sutlej, which flows only occasionally.

It turns out that the Bari Doab lies between the two dead rivers. Irrigated agriculture in the area is, therefore, dependent solely on the flows from western rivers.

The location of the model farm, therefore, points to the challenges associated with the availability of water, a vital input for farming. Despite being surrounded by three rivers — much of the land looks parched.

There is a need to dig wells under the provincial government’s watch to systematically recharge groundwater in the south Punjab besides routing floodwater through barrages on the Ravi and Sutlej rivers. There is a need also to dig charging wells in the riverbed to aid the replenishing of dwindling underground reserves.

A dedicated institution can spearhead this task, which may also contribute to flood mitigation. As a major stakeholder, the army, too, can have a role in this effort.

At the farm level, the FonGrow management is implementing high-tech centre-pivot sprinkle irrigation requiring investment of billions of rupees. The capital-intensive micro-irrigation offers the benefits of precise use of the scarce groundwater resource.

To maintain the aquifer, supply from three watercourses is being injected underground. The purity of groundwater ensures trouble-free functioning of the sprinklers. In terms of efficiency, micro-irrigation clearly outperforms surface body supplies.

Talking about the utility of smart watering systems, Eng Mushtaq Gill, the irrigation consultant at Pirowal farm, says that the centre-pivot irrigation system, consisting of a pumping station and complex delivery channels, captures groundwater and transports it through the pipes to the central tower or pivot point and evenly through the sprinklers for application of water drops of the right size to maximise absorption into the soil. “The use of liquid fertiliser and pesticides is also smartly done through the delivery mechanism,” he adds. When needed, the centre pivot moves automatically. It is powered by a highly efficient electric motor and mounted on wheels.

Gill, credited with introducing laser-land levelling in the country, says he has a dream to convert the Cholistan desert into a farmland. About two decades ago, he says, he presented a scientific model of growing plants in the desert area of south Punjab. Gill says sprinkler pivots can be used for nearly any type of crops. These can also be customised to the size and shape of the individual fields.

Ahsan Bajwa, CEO of Farm Dynamics, manages cutting-edge machinery employed at the FonGrow corporate farm. He says that the benefits of autonomously-run tractors using GPS and varied agriculture implements have increased yields by cost-effective cultivation of large areas with limited amounts of water and other resources. Technology is also helping reduce the post-harvest losses.

Maj Gen Tahir Aslam (retired), the Fongrow CEO, says great improvements can be achieved in national development with large-scale farming. He describes the development as a revolution knocking at the door. However, he does not dwell on his vision for the use of scarce water resources for wide-ranging farming. He describes use of groundwater as a form of non-irrigated agriculture. It seems that the FonGrow has not considered the concept of rain-fed cropping in winter.

FonGrow has seized an opportunity and filled a gap by introducing corporate farming in the area.

For his part, Cheema has helped by taking a steadfast stance to stop the import of non-labelled GMO oilseeds. After the incumbent government banned GMO soybean, Gen Tahir says they are going to plant the crop for the first time in the upcoming season.

The CAF initiative will be like walking the proverbial tightrope. Maintaining a balance among all stakeholders sharing the scarce resources will be crucial. In the past, the model adopted by Jahangir Tareen in Jamal Din Wali, Rahim Yar Khan, for sustainable use of limited water has been successful. Terraced land levelling there had helped improve the water use efficiency. It enabled sugarcane farming with high efficiency. Mian Mansha’s farm, fed by centre-pivot irrigation, is also a pioneering example of cultivating fodder crops.

FonGrow seems to be a homegrown solution. It may be poised for thumping success. It is relying entirely on local experts, in contrast with the large farms pioneered by Tareen and Mansha, where all workers – managers and supervisors as well as labourers – in the pilot phase were brought from abroad. Strategic and macro stability will likely remain a challenge in terms of competition with other stakeholders.

The writer is a senior reporter