Pakistan loses 30pc farm land to salinity: FAO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has lost 29.6 per cent of its agricultural land to soil salinity and sodicity, according to the first major assessment of salt-affected soils in 50 years, released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.

Pakistan has an agricultural land area of 22 million hectares, out of a total land area of 79.7m hectares, of which 6.67m hectares are affected by soil salinity and sodicity, the reveals assessment. The report says some salt-tolerant species are not halophytes...