LAHORE: Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) has suggested that federal government should take over the agriculture sector again for its revival in a better way through recently launched Green Pakistan Initiative.
Talking to media here Sunday, the PBF Central Vice President Jahan Ara Wattoo said that agriculture sector development had been slowed since its devolution to provinces under 18th Amendment as the provinces were still looking for federal government’s assistance on this count. “At province level, agriculture is still functioning as extension departments with regard to monitoring, supply, procurement, distribution and prices, and even today, agricultural policy making is the domain of regulatory bodies at the centre,” she argued.
Jahan Ara Watoo explained that about 48 million hectares (60 percent) land was often classified as unusable for forestry or agriculture, while rest consisted of mostly deserts, mountains and urban settlements. Some official figures included rangelands as agricultural land on the basis that it supported some livestock activity, she said, adding that around 70 percent of the cropped area was in Punjab followed by about 20 percent in Sindh, less than 10 percent in the KPK and only one per cent in Balochistan. Though cultivation area had earlier been increased due to effective irrigation system in the country, now a vast area of agricultural land was decreasing because of fast urbanization and water-logging issues.
PBF Central Vice President said that agricultural yield in Pakistan had since long been stagnated due to the absence of comprehensive policy measures to reform this vital sector contributing around 20 percent to the country’s GDP and absorbing almost 40 percent of the labour force.
It was a good omen, she mentioned, the incumbent coalition government had directed all the authorities concerned to prepare a comprehensive agricultural reform plan on an emergency basis with focus on increasing the agri yield, reducing food imports and improving earnings of farming community. Keeping in view the grave issue of global warming, the government was also striving hard to shift from conventional agricultural patterns to a sustainable and climate-friendly approach.
Jahan Ara said, “It is widely acknowledged that increase in temperature beyond a certain level is causing a massive reduction in yields and leading to food insecurity. The impact of climate extremes is exponential considering that most of developing countries are heavily reliant on agriculture, which makes up a major chunk of their GDP, employment and foreign reserves. It is widely noted that the past few years have witnessed constant food shortages due to low yields, resulting in elevated food prices, double-digit inflation and a deteriorating current account as major staples were imported.” To ensure food security and adequate nourishment for the ever-growing populace, she added, the ailing agriculture sector must be rescued through sustainable solutions.
No doubt Pakistan currently is experiencing major climate change challenges to agriculture including frequent floods, droughts, irregular rainfall, soaring temperatures and pest attacks. Floods, which were now a regular calamity, washed away agricultural produce along with soil nutrients, at times leaving the land uncultivable. Irregular rain patterns and water scarcity have effectively caused land output to wither away. Pest attacks, like locust invasions, pose a grave threat as crops can be devastated almost instantly, he observed.
Keeping in view these factors, she said, the coalition government had formed eight sub-committees on wheat, cotton, edible oil, fertilizers, agricultural research, irrigation water, climate change and agricultural machinery, to reform the agricultural sector through short, medium and long-term measures. These sub-committees recommended concrete measures for enhancing production of wheat, cotton, and edible oil during the next rabi and kharif seasons, besides provision of the latest farm implements to farmers at low cost, subsidy on urea and DAP, production targets with provision of exporting surplus crops, certified seeds, efficient use of irrigation water and timely sanction of loans to farmers.
The PBF office-bearer appreciated that government decided to ensure that farmers were provided with certified seeds and fertilizers at a reduced cost and that the companies selling uncertified seeds and pesticides should be dealt with strictly. Agricultural research institutions that produce quality seeds within the country would be encouraged and facilitated including loans to farmers to acquire the latest agricultural machinery, besides building silos to store agricultural produce to protect them from post-harvest climatic conditions.
Jahan Ara Wattoo, however, stressed the need that relevant ministries and departments should take measures to achieve agri production target for the next wheat crop and it should also be ensured that the subsidy on agricultural inputs reached farmers.