IT WAS about one and a half months ago that the government had approved a multibillion-rupee agriculture relief package to provide subsidy to farmers on fertilizers and pesticides, reduction in bank mark up on agriculture loans and sales tax subsidy on locally manufactured tractors. It was part of Rs 1200 billion rupees stimulus package announced by the government for different sectors to support them amidst Covid-19. Whilst relief has been extended to other sectors such as SMEs, it is unfortunate that the farmers are still awaiting the implementation of their package.
In the present circumstances, when Coronavirus has inflicted major blow to economies around the world including Pakistan, the agriculture sector has assumed greater importance than ever before to save the people from starvation. Agriculture has always been dubbed as the backbone of our economy but the fact is that it has never been given due importance. And today the situation is that Pakistan will import 1 to 1.5 million tons of wheat to meet its annual requirement as this year the wheat production remained below the set target. Cotton was once known as a white gold in Pakistan but its production over the years has constantly been on the decline despite the fact that our exports are heavily dependent upon the textiles. Production of other crops also paints a gloomy picture. The situation warrants giving special attention to enhancing per acre yield of all the cash crops by using the best practices and seeds. This dream cannot be achieved sans giving incentives and full support to the farmers. We, therefore, ask the government to immediately implement the agriculture package. Such a mechanism on the pattern of Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program should be introduced to ensure that the benefit reaches the small farmers. Then special compensation should also be announced for the farmers whose crops were ravaged by locusts or heavy downpours in winter. Research is the key to take forward the agriculture sector. New seed varieties either needs to be imported or developed domestically that enhance the per acre yield of all the major crops especially cotton. Awareness campaigns must also be started for the farmers to cultivate alternative crops. We call ourselves an agrarian country but we import pulses and edible oil from other countries. Ours is a fertile land and it is a matter of only making right kind of interventions to achieve self reliance. Livestock should not be overlooked in the pursuit of uplifting the agriculture sector.
