Why should we grow guar?

GUAR is an important leguminous crop which is extremely drought resistant and can be grown in semi-arid regions. The guar bean has a large endosperm, which contains significant amounts of primary marketable product, guar gum. 

The guar gum, also called guaran, is extracted from the seed of the leguminous shrub Cyamopsis tetragonolobus (Leguminosae), which is grown in arid and semi-arid regions of Sindh and Punjab. It is termed as the best substitute for locust bean gums. Manufacturing of gum from its beans gives such astonishing results that it is considered 'white gold'. 

The guar is dicotyledonous (oval-shaped) seed having a diameter of about 8mm. Galactomanan is the essential ingredient of guar that gives it unique thickening, binding and stabilising properties. 

In order to obtain pure galactomanan, the endosperm is separated from the hull and germ. The relative composition of a guar seed comprises 14-17 per cent hull, 43-47 per cent germ and 34-36 per cent endosperm. The production process is optimised to extract maximum levels of galactomanan from seeds of differing content by using a multi-stage grinding and sifting process. Guar is used as cattle feed and green manure and can be eaten as a green bean. 

Guar plant grows well under a wide range of soil conditions. It thrives best in fertile, medium textured and sandy loam soils, with good structure and well-drained subsoil. Under irrigated condition it should be sown from April to July but in rain-fed regions sowing should be completed before monsoon. 

The plant cannot stand water-logging conditions, although it is considered to be tolerant to both soil salinity and alkalinity. The crop tolerates high temperatures and dry conditions, and is adapted to arid and semi-arid climates. Ideally, guar requires two showers before sowing, one spell during budding and another one at the time of blossoming. Too much of precipitation can lead to vigorous vegetative growth, reducing the number of pods and/ or the number of seeds per pod, affecting the size and yield of seeds. 

Guar is a photo-sensitive crop and it flowers and matures when sown in the kharif season. On maturity, the seedpods are brown and dry, and seed moisture content is less than 14 per cent. During harvesting, small plants are either uprooted or cut from the stem and kept in the open for drying. Seeds are taken out of the beans, either mechanically or manually at the farm level, so that they do not shatter. 

The properties of guar powder, which make it useful in various applications, include its easy solubility in cold and hot water, film forming ability, resistance to oils, greases and solvents, good thickening agent, water binding capacity, high viscosity and functioning at low temperatures. Given the versatility in its use for food, feed and industrial applications, guar and its derivatives attract good demand from the industrial/food-processing sector. It is a useful fodder crop and as a leguminous plant it also adds nitrogen to the soil, thereby enriching soil quality. Crop residues (stubble and header trash) are a source of valuable, high protein animal feed. The crop can also be used to produce high quality hay. 

Its seed (bean) is mainly used to produce guar gum, which has wide-ranging applications. In cosmetics, especially shampoos and toothpastes, guar gum is used primarily as a thickening and suspending agent. In beverages, it is used as stabiliser for preparing chocolate drinks and juices. Guar is also widely used in tobacco, leather, insecticides and pesticides, crayons, adhesives etc. Industrial application of guar gum includes the textile industry where guar gum's excellent thickening properties are used for textile sizing, finishing and printing. In the paper industry guar is used as an additive where it gives denser surface to the paper used in printing. In the explosive industry guar is mixed in ammonium nitrate, nitroglycerine and oil explosives, where it helps maintain the explosive properties of the product even in wet conditions. Guar is an important natural food supplement with high nutritional value, for weight gain and cholesterol reduction. 

End uses of guar India accounts for 80 per cent of the total guar produced in the world and 70 per cent is cultivated in Rajasthan. Pakistan, Sudan and parts of US are the other major guar growing countries. Over 75 per cent of guar gum or their derivatives produced in India are exported mainly to US and European countries. 

The consumption pattern of guar seeds is largely determined by the demand from the petroleum industry of the US and the oilfields in the Middle East. The US alone contributes to around 70,000 tons of guar and its derivatives demand. Also, in rest of the world, the trend of consumption has increased with time that has lead to the introduction of this crop in many countries 

The world's total production of guar seed hovers around 10-15 lakh tones. In Pakistan, guar is grown in Punjab, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Mianwali, Sargoda, Bahawalpur, Banawalnagar and Sindh province. Global demand for guar seed has increased over the years with a steep rise in demand in the recent times on account of its increasing use in petroleum industry. 

The production of guar in Pakistan has slightly declined. Churi and Korma are in a good demand for cattle feed in domestic as well as overseas markets as the prices of oil meal are quite high this year. So, the overall fundamentals of guar looks strong as decline in arrivals expected in the off-season is likely to bring some premiums to the prices in the coming months. 

There is an urgent need to make a plan to develop varieties with high production of guar gum. The production of guar and guar gum could be increased as it can be used inoil well drilling, ice cream, dairy products soups and gravies, bakery products, noodles, pet food, textile cosmetics pharmaceuticals explosives and mining industries. It is a natural product so it can be used in food products without any hazards. 

There is possibility to grow two crops of guar in a year provided irrigation facilities are present. The world market for guar gum is estimated at somewhat 2-2.5 lakh tons annually. Guar should be promoted as a cash crop and should not be ignored and attention on it should be given as to other crops like cereals, fibre and oilseed crops.

The Dawn

Pakistan: Livestock business gets a boost

Foreign aid agencies of two developed countries are assisting Pakistan’s two major provinces to develop their livestock sector on sound lines.

These are Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). JICA has signed an agreement with Sindh government to help revive its livestock potential under a five-year project. The project marks the beginning of implementation of a livestock development master plan jointly worked out by the provincial government and Japanese experts. The plan will cover the period until 2020, based on the scrutiny carried out from 2011 to 2012.

The USAID has helped the Punjab government by preparing a draft of a new law called Punjab Animal Welfare Act, 2013, on behalf of the livestock and dairy development department. It recently organised ‘a dialogue’ among the stakeholders on the pros and cons of the new law in Lahore. The existing law, Animal Protection Act, promulgated by the British in 1822, has become outdated.

Statistics show that Sindh has 6.92 million cattle, 7.34 million buffaloes, 3.96 million sheep, 1.26 million goats and 278,000 camels while the accumulated livestock holdings of the province stands at 21 per cent of the country. According to Japanese experts, the huge size of animal population is in itself a significant sign of the great potential for the livestock development in terms of high production capability. On country-wide basis, the population of cattle was the largest at 38.3 million during 2012-13 — of buffaloes it was 33.7 million, of sheep 28.8 million and of goats 64.9 million.

Meanwhile, a land measuring 2,500 acres has already been earmarked in district Thatta, about 230kms from Karachi, for setting up Bhambhore dairy and meat processing zone by Sindh’s livestock department. Sindh Board of Investment in collaboration with the department would undertake the investment part of the project. The government has started giving some attention to this sector but no big investment, much less from abroad, has been seen in dairy, beef, mutton sub-sectors of livestock.

Most of the livestock production system in Pakistan is age-old and subsistence oriented. Sire (bull) is being bred with low genetic potential. The breed with best potential such as Sahiwal cow and Nili-Ravi buffalo are rarely found on the farms of small and middle-class farmers who contribute a bigger share of cattle-heads. These have, in fact, become endangered species. There is need to save and exploit the genetic potential of the high yielding breeds.

The Punjab government has allocated a sum of Rs7.2 billion for agriculture and livestock sectors in its ADP for 2013-14. Of this, Rs1.7 billion has been allocated for livestock sector. The break-up shows that Rs739 million has been set aside for new schemes in livestock sector and Rs261 million allocated for ongoing schemes.

The budget documents say that livestock is a newly emerging economic sector with high potential in terms of profitability. Farmers earn about 30 to 40 per cent of their income from livestock. Some government initiatives planned in livestock sector are aimed at enhancing production and marketing of livestock products in Layyah, Mianwali, Khushab and Bhakkar, restructuring and re-organisation of breeding services and strengthening of Buffalo Research Institute at Pattoki.

A by-product of the livestock sector is bio-gas and China has set up 11 million biogas plants by using cattle’s manure. But Pakistan has hardly 3,000 plants. Based on the size of cattle and other animal population, Pakistan can have as many as a million biogas plants. Punjab’s chief minister has, however, taken the initiative on this count. He has launched a project aimed at developing economical biogas plants. Apart from clean fuel, these plants also produce organic fertiliser as a by-product. Another by-product is leather and leather products. Its exports earned $1.1billion during 2010-11 fiscal year which amounted to 4.4 per cent of the total exports.

Historically, livestock has been mostly pursued by small farmers to meet their needs of milk, meat, eggs, food security and cash income on daily basis. Some 30-35 million people in rural areas depend directly or indirectly on livestock for their livelihood. Pakistan happens to be the fifth-largest milk producer in the world but has yet to develop this sub-sector as a large-scale industry and to make it one of the leading foreign exchange earners. The milk production, however, increased by 3.2 per cent and meat 4.5 per cent during 2012-13 as compared to corresponding period last year.

Livestock contributed approximately 55.4 per cent to the agricultural value and 11.9 per cent to the GDP during 2012-13, against almost similar performance a year ago. Gross value addition of the livestock sector at constant cost factor has increased from Rs735 billion (2011-12) to Rs756 billion (2012-13), showing an increase of 2.9 per cent as compared to previous year.

In the wake of the passage of 18th constitutional amendment, the federal ministry of livestock and dairy development was abolished on April 5, 2010 and the subjects of animal health and production were devolved to the provinces. The technical staff of the ministry was initially attached with the commerce ministry and later with livestock wing of the newly created ministry of national food security & research in February 2012. The ministry is redefining its role under its new mandate to serve as catalyst in the development of livestock in the country.

The future plan of the ministry for livestock sector is to achieve five per cent growth in meat and eight per cent in milk production, which are currently around three per cent, by discouraging subsistence livestock farming and encouraging market-oriented and commercial farming covering the entire value chain from farm to plate.

Besides, the ministry plans to promote diversification of livestock products, help the sector play a leading role in the global halal food market and control trans-boundary animal diseases of trade and economic importance. Ashfak Bokhari

Pakistan: Poultry sector produces 11.2b eggs annually

LAHORE   - The local poultry industry is producing 11.2 billion table eggs and 1.34 billion kgs of chicken meat annually. In Pakistan, per capita consumption of meat is only 7.4kg and 60-65 eggs annually, whereas developed world is consuming 25-28kg meat and over 250 eggs per capita per year.

This was stated by the newly-elected Pakistan Poultry Association North Zone Chairman, Raza Mehmood Khursand, while emphasizing the need for understanding that egg is a complete diet and replete with the best kinds of protein, vitamins and minerals.

He said that Pakistan Poultry Association is celebrating World Egg Day on Friday (today) by organizing seminars at different places to make the general public aware about the nutritional value of egg and its importance in human diet. The importance of protein in the growth of human body and brain also highlights the real value of egg as an essential item of daily meal, he added.

“As per standard of World Health Organization, daily requirement of animal protein for a person is 27 grams whereas our public is consuming 17 grams only. Therefore we are already consuming less animal protein as per required standards.”

During a press briefing, he said that poultry sector is one of the most organised agro-based sectors of Pakistan. Poultry sector has been serving the nation since 1962 and providing affordable poultry products to the masses to fulfill the requirements of animal protein.

Quoting the experts, Raza Khursand said that the annual consumption of 300 eggs per person is important for human health. The consumption level in the developed countries meets this requirement adequately, however, the annual egg consumption is not satisfactory in Pakistan.

The PPA chairman concluded that efforts should be made to make people cognizant of the above facts to increase egg consumption and to ensure the good health of our people since only a healthy generation can take a country to the pinnacle of progress and prosperity. He said that poultry at present contributes 40 percent of the total meat consumption and generates employment and income for about 1.5 million people. He said that poultry is the cheapest available meat protein source for our masses and as such, is an effective check upon the spiraling animal protein prices also.