Various factors like skyrocketing price, declining food production, depleting soil fertility and poor water availability are the main causes that may bring the provincial agriculture sector on the brink of collapse.
Some agronomists attribute this situation to indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and hold substandard pesticides responsible for the problems. A section says that liberalisation will facilitate use of modern technology in agriculture sector plagued by structural problems.
On the other hand, the growers attribute poor availability of water and unjust distribution of resources to this situation, which had brought the economy to its knee. The growers issued white paper on crop production during the past five years, which points out that the rural economy is on its lowest ebb.
They quote some interesting figures in support to their argument. They say that Pakistan consists of canals covering an area of 113,100,0 ha of which 74 per cent in Punjab, 20 per cent in Sindh.
Tube well covers 426,000 ha of which 92 per cent in Punjab, open well cover 6,000 ha and all are in Punjab, the other means, which cover 620,000 ha of which 73 per cent in Sindh province. Moreover, the Water Accord 1991 has not been implemented in letter and spirit.
They further said that government measures like subsidies were also insufficiently provided. Some concessions were given here and there and mostly in fertilisers.
Farmers, in fact, don't want subsidies but the basic infrastructure. If anything were to provide that must be in the form of water availability, good quality seeds, infrastructure for the processing industry, effective-marketing facilities. They said that selective promotion of some sectors had benefited few rich farmers and the majority of small farmers continued to suffer.
High cost inputs were not translating into increased output. Hard pressed Sindh farmers to step up productivity in the face of declining soil fertility, the small farmers ended up incurring huge debts to buy expensive high yield seeds and pesticides.
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