Jamshed Ali Khan
The agricultural sector in Pakistan faces many challenges, especially concerning rural employment and agricultural productivity. For Pakistan to address its growing unemployment challenges and boost export revenues, it is imperative to revamp the agricultural sector. Practical agricultural policies can not only boost food production and improve livelihoods but also address health issues related to food insecurity. These policies could help combat problems such as stunting and malnutrition-related complications. However, achieving these goals while contending with the increasing threat of climate change calls for significant rethinking.
Historically, agricultural production in pre-independence Pakistan was focused on cash crops like cotton, driven by British investments in the irrigation system to support the booming textile industry in Britain. Unfortunately, the post-partition Pakistani state did little to alter this extractive colonial model of agricultural production, resulting in concentrated land ownership, absentee landlordism, and control of rural vote banks. International donors have also struggled to alleviate rural marginalization or tackle its structural causes within Pakistan, resorting to top-down policies like the Green Revolution, which led to environmental damage.
Cotton and sugarcane production dominate Pakistan’s agricultural landscape, with sugarcane production being monopolized by a few powerful elites. Corporate farming is being promoted as a solution to maximize yields and address rural poverty, but it risks further de-paganization and challenges due to a lack of suitable jobs in the manufacturing sector. The current situation is precarious, worsened by agricultural land degradation depleting aquifers and exacerbating soil fertility issues.
Despite these challenges, achieving food sovereignty in Pakistan is attainable with judicious distribution of land and water resources, a reconsideration of crop choices, and attention to improving seed quality and implementing climate smart practices relevant for smallholders. Implementing taxes for large farmers, ensuring contracts for sharecropping, and establishing minimum wages for agri-labourers, including women, could significantly address the prevailing rural deprivation in the country. Addressing these critical issues and implementing strategic agricultural reforms is essential to foster sustainable growth and prosperity in Pakistan’s agricultural sector.
Pakistan’s agriculture sector faces a multitude of challenges that significantly impact its growth and sustainability. The report “Pakistan’s Agriculture 2023” by the Pakistan Business Council delves into the core issues confronting the agriculture sector and identifies five key factors crucial for agricultural development: technology, water, seed, financing animal disease, and feed.
The report emphasizes the necessity for Pakistan to transition from being a victim of high global agri-commodity prices to a beneficiary in order to achieve a 4 per cent real GDP growth in agriculture. This entails improving crop yields to shift from being a food importer to becoming a food exporter, a crucial step for ensuring sustainable growth.
Additionally, the need to amend the Seed Act is highlighted as an essential measure to encourage private-sector investment in the agricultural sector. An improved seed industry is fundamental for the long-term growth prospects of Pakistan’s agriculture. The report stresses the importance of legal and regulatory reforms to incentivize private seed companies to invest, advocating for a shift in seed regulation to maximize benefits for farmers.
Expanding the cultivation of fruits and vegetables from 5 per cent to 15 per cent is proposed as a strategy to save water and achieve greater agricultural growth. Encouraging investment in cold chain infrastructure and attracting global players to take off fruits and vegetables for export could significantly boost the sector.
Moreover, strengthening linkages between processors and growers is identified as crucial for meeting global buyers’ demand for traceability and sustainability. The report underscores the potential of agro-processing to elevate agriculture to the next level, emphasizing the need for investment in this area to multiply agriculture GDP.
The report also advocates for the investment of equity capital in modern agri-technology, stressing the need for modern farm machinery, silo storages, cool chains for fruits and vegetables, controlled sheds for poultry, and high-efficiency irrigation systems. Upgrading Pakistan’s irrigation system, adopting better water accounting, and improving water governance is also highlighted as imperative for increasing agricultural exports.
Furthermore, using risk transfer mechanisms to protect farmers from the impacts of climate change and biological perils is emphasized, along with the untapped growth potential in the livestock sector. The report underscores the importance of coordinated action by various stakeholders to achieve lower inflation, higher profitability for growers, and better competitiveness for exporters.
In addition to the aforementioned policy priorities, the report highlights previous studies by the Pakistan Business Council on horticulture, bovine meat, dairy, olives, honey, and potato, which identify opportunities to increase value addition, exports, and employment in the sector. The upcoming policy briefs planned for FY 2023 on fruit pulping, greenhouse/vertical farming, artificial insemination for dairy and meat, and milk collection networks/co-operatives based around large farms aim to address existing gaps and constraints to promote agricultural growth.
Pakistan needs agricultural reforms based on climate action because climate change poses a significant threat to the agriculture sector. The changing climate patterns lead to unpredictable weather conditions, which can have detrimental effects on crop yields and overall agricultural productivity. By implementing agricultural reforms that take climate change into account, Pakistan can work towards building a more resilient and sustainable agricultural sector that can better withstand the impacts of climate change.
Training of farmers and labour is critical for agricultural development because it enhances their skills and knowledge, leading to improved agricultural practices and productivity. With proper training, farmers can learn about modern and sustainable farming techniques, efficient water usage, and crop management strategies that can help increase yields and overall farm profitability. Similarly, training for agricultural labourers can improve their efficiency and contribute to better overall farm management. Ultimately, investing in the training of farmers and labourers is crucial for the long-term development and success of the agriculture sector in Pakistan.
These comprehensive policy priorities and recommendations underscore the critical need to address the underlying issues and implement strategic reforms to foster sustainable growth and prosperity in Pakistan’s agriculture sector. Agriculture is a devolved subject; therefore, the capacity of the provincial departments and allied research institutions needs improvement. A qualitative human resource development with modern research is the way forward for agricultural reforms in Pakistan.