KBP calls for setting up regulatory authority

The Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP) has called for setting up a regulatory authority with sufficient powers in form of a agricultural boards at the Federal, Provincial and District levels comprising farmers, agro-experts and other government officials to tackle the looming food crisis.
The KBP sources informed Business Recorder that this board would not only fix the production targets but also determine the procurement prices and targets for different good grains, vegetables and sugar. While the agricultural boards at the district levels would plan the agriculture policy of sowing crops according to the soil quality and availability of water and assist the farmers on different important agricultural requirements like showing, harvesting, use of fertilisers and insecticides/pesticides.
The KBP has demanded these steps in view of upcoming budget 2008-09, said its Vice President, Sarfraz Ahmad Khan on Wednesday. He said this board should also ensure timely payment to the farmers from the respective buyers of their produces including sugar millers and middle men (Arthis).
On the basis of the policy/data of the district boards, a Provincial Agriculture Policy should be framed to boost the framework with a realistic Federal Agriculture Policy. Further, Khan said officials attached with these boards, should guide the farmers when, where and which crop should they sow and the soil quality of any particular village or its merit for any specific crop.
He said the officials should pass on information about any specific crop that how many times it should be given water, what are the inputs, cost of input and what would be the income of the farmers out of it. Besides, they should also tell farmers how and where to market their produce. Khan also advised that all watercourses should be built with bricks and cement at public expenses and the farmers should pay back in easy instalments over the period of five years along with land revenue.
Ultimately, all Canals and distributories need to be made concrete over 10 years. Furthermore, fertilisers and agricultural insecticides/pesticides should be exempted from sales tax and electricity and agricultural tube wells may be supplied at 50 per cent rates with nil sales tax. Rainwater can be stored easily.
Therefore, small dams should be constructed for storing of rainwater that goes waste. Monsoon Nullahs and seasonal rivers cause havoc during rainy season thereafter remains dry.