Maize cob picker helps increase efficiency of harvests in rural Punjab, Pakistan
Maize farmers in rural Punjab, Pakistan, are realizing the benefits of mechanized harvest technology thanks to a Chinese-made maize cob picker which improves efficiency by 50 percent.
Maize growers of Punjab helped to manage aflatoxins through biological control technology
Maize crop in Pakistan presents a remarkable success story from the last few years. For instance, the country’s maize production increased from 705 tonnes in 1971 to 7,000 tonnes in 2020 – growing at an average annual rate of 5.15%.
Strengthening extension trainings through digital tools in Rwanda
The role of extension staff in reaching smallholder farmers in Africa with relevant agricultural information cannot be underestimated, writes Abigael Mchana, Communications Officer, and Henry Mibei, Manager, Digital Development at CABI’s Africa Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. They are few in number compared to their clients in need of their expertise and often operate with scarce…
Pakistan’s maize farmers get to grips with mechanized technology aimed at improving productivity
CABI in Pakistan, in coordination with the Government of Punjab’s Agriculture Department, have given maize farmers a taste of improved productivity thanks to the mechanized technology provided by the ‘cob picker’.
Aflatoxin control in Pakistan: A project which will change landscape of country’s maize crop
Aflatoxin, produced by a poisonous fungus, is a serious threat to food security by contaminating many of Pakistan’s agricultural products, including cereal grains, chilies, dry fruits, nuts and milk.
First biological control laboratory created in Pakistan to research poisonous aflatoxins
The first biological control laboratory to research poisonous aflatoxins has been created in Pakistan as part of a collaboration between CABI and the Crop Diseases Research Institute (CDRI) at the nation’s National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC). The facility, under the Aflatoxin Control Programme in Pakistan, aims to ensure the state of food security in the…
Sensitizing maize growers of Punjab on aflatoxin biocontrol to produce quality crops for their communities
Dr Sabyan Faris Honey, CABI, and Deborah Hamilton, USDA Farmers in the Punjab province of Pakistan produce 85% of maize not only for the purpose of helping to ensure local and regional food security but also for export to high end markets. Due to the presence of aflatoxin levels above permissible limits (20ppb) in maize…
CABI builds capacity to tackle aflatoxin contamination of cereal crops in Pakistan
In this latest blog from CABI’s Dr Sabyan Faris Honey and Deborah Hamilton of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), we look at how the ‘Aflatoxin Control in Pakistan’ project is increasing efforts to build the capacity of technical staff in Punjab province to manage the harmful toxins which affect cereal crops, including maize,…
Pakistani scientists receive hands-on training at Virginia Tech on biological control of aflatoxins
Aflatoxin Control in Pakistan is a public-private partnership program led by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a USA-based company Ingredion and its Pakistani subsidiary, Rafhan Maize Products Co. Ltd in collaboration with CABI and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC). The public-private partnership is working together to develop an indigenous biocontrol product,…
Developing crops for mild drought tolerance
Whilst we continue to have no rain in southern England (I’m sure this won’t last too long…), drought tolerance must be on the mind of many farmers. World reports on climate change and food security have identified water scarcity as a critical factor for agriculture this century. Breeding for drought tolerance is a major research…