Human resources are undoubtedly the backbone of our industry business. With sound farming knowledge, distinctive agronomic strategies, and modern machinery, our people help us build highly efficient and eco-friendly farms with higher yields. Our innovative farming techniques have also led us to develop the capacity of existing farmers resulting in improved and reliable cane supply to JDW.
JDW believes in investing in our future by undertaking large-scale research and development activities such as:
Large scale farming operations cannot be managed effectively without mechanization. We have managed to acquire latest tractors and other farming equipment’s from local as well as foreign sources. In addition to that, we have rationalized farm layouts and combined the traditional farming techniques with newly acquired technologies to achieve maximum yield in the region. Few of our mechanized operations are given below:-
Precision Agriculture (PA) is the act of managing different land variables using the latest technology such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), and Yield Mapping. Adoption of PA practices can improve the efficiency and profitability of farming operations to a great extent. Under the supervision of foreign consultants, our engineering team is making full use of these techniques to achieve higher yields at lower costs.
Designing and fabrication of bed de-generator at site workshop is now ready to work in the fields. This will create revolution in term of time and energy saving in offset and seed bed operations. Replacement of rotary hoe will stop deterioration of soil structure which leads to improve soil by maintaining soil porosity, water holding capacity, soil drainage and reduction of surface sealing.
JDW is improving sugarcane crops by introducing promising cane varieties through plant breeding and variety selection programs. We are the only ones in Pakistan who are doing sugarcane breeding every year at Thatta. From there, we have developed a new variety J16-639 which is successfully planted at JDW corporate farms and grower’s fields. This variety showed resistance against diseases and gave good yield and recovery. This variety has been given to the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council for approval and registration from the government. They will include our variety in National Uniformity Yield Testing Trials for 2-3 years.
We are also progressing with some good sugarcane varietal lines at JDW Research farms. These lines were selected in 2023-24 from J19 nurseries which were produced from JDW sugarcane breeding station located at Thatta. These are early maturing and high-yielding varieties. These varieties have shown disease resistance in various research trials at JDW research farms.
At this stage, the above varieties are under the seed multiplication process at JDW corporate farms. These have been planted on different soil types for adoptive trials in 2023-24. More qualitative and quantitative data will be taken to see their adaptability in larger fields. Further sugarcane seedlings have been produced every year through the breeding of selected parents. We are utilizing both local and foreign germplasm in breeding having good traits.
Production of disease-free seed for corporate farms and local growers and Production of certified seed (Diseasefree seed plays a vital role in the sugar industry).
Recent tests revealed ratoon stunting RSD and White leaf disease WLD is found common in commercial cultivars of the area. In this scenario, seed certification is important to sustain cane production through these locally adapted cultivars. Hot water treatment of the seed is the only solution to minimize the impact of the above-mentioned diseases. JDW has constructed large heat treatment facilities at each mill and seed treatment has been done successfully. Disease-free seed nurseries have been established at JDW corporate farms. This is a continuous process. We are doing hot water treatment every year and keep building healthy seed nurseries at our farms. This practice is very important to keep the disease pressure under the economic threshold level.
Creeping weeds like Morning Glory and twine vine are becoming serious problems among farms. These weeds were introduced around flood areas around the Indus River bank in 2010. Serious efforts of herbicide trials are underway to control and check the further spread of these weeds. JDW is making long- and short-term strategy is now at the final stage.
Traditionally, aerial spraying of pesticides has been done using conventional fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters with a pilot onboard. However, this is changing. Small, remotely piloted aircraft are being used to apply pesticides around the world.
Drone sprayers will never replace ground or conventional aerial application technology, but they may complement existing spray practices. The future of drone spraying will be mainly affected by the crop height, timeliness, and field condition in post-rain and irrigation (i.e., which option may get the job done in the shortest time, desiccating high temperature may reduce the adhesiveness being small droplets from drone.), the type of spraying to be done (insecticide or herbicide, use of water volume, etc.), and availability of local companies offering drone spraying.
JDW corporate farms also introduced drone spray to sugarcane crops especially when crop height hinders in traditional method of spraying through tractors. Post rain or just after irrigation drone spray is being carried out when the traditional way of spraying is impossible being wet field.
Hot water treatment is primarily required to ensure diseasefree seed for farms. A small portable HWT plant was set up in 2014 under crop improvement (R&D), a new portable setup was imported last year and HWT started in 2016- 17. Fixed hot water treatment plants of bigger capacity are now constructed at Units I and IV. These plants are now in operation.
JDW has always emphasized improving irrigation efficiency in the region. Over the years, irrigation using poor-quality 1 4 2024 Annual Report tube well water has led to a seriously soiled gradation that resulted in the loss of yield. At JDW, all groundwater sources are constantly tested in the laboratory to ensure that suitable water is supplied to crops. The farms are designed using the latest laser leveling technology to ensure improved irrigation, at reduced costs and increasing yield potential. In recent times, the addition of flow meters on irrigation sources started to quantify the efficiency of irrigation. In addition, the early hill-up technique is developed to conserve moisture which leads to improved water use efficiency.
As part of our sustainability initiatives, JDW is prioritizing the use of solar energy to power our irrigation turbines. In 2024, we successfully designed and installed 10 solarpowered irrigation turbines with a capacity of 32.7 KWH. These turbines are now fully operational.
Building on this momentum, we have planned to install an additional 20 solar-powered irrigation turbines. This expansion will further reduce our reliance on non-renewable energy sources and contribute to a more sustainable future.
By harnessing the power of solar energy, we aim to minimize our environmental footprint while ensuring the long-term viability of our agricultural operations.
JDW has adopted the use of mechanical harvesters and prime mover cane transport systems for harvesting and transporting cane from farm to mill on a timely basis. This saves a lot of transportation costs and crucial cane nutrition. JDW currently operates 16 harvesters and can mechanically harvest over 450,000 tons of cane over 13,000 acres per season. The mechanical harvest and transport system continues to evolve into a worldclass operation as efficiencies improve with innovations, improved infrastructure, and improved farm designs.
Cane production is affected by both harvesting and field issues which can impact sugar quality and quantity. Both harvesting efficiency and crop presentation affect cane yield, cane quality, and ratooning. Foreign consultants worked with JDW and developed Harvesting Best Practice (HBP) guidelines to reduce cane loss, improve cane quality, and reduce stool damage. The HBP guidelines also focus on the impact that crop presentation has on harvesting efficiency. Information available covers topics such as farming for efficient harvesting; the effect of extractor fan speed on cane loss, crop yield, Commercial Cane Sugar (CCS), reduction in base cutter/chopper losses; and improvement in billet quality for planting.
