The President, Mango Growers Association Pakistan (MGAP), Zahid Hussain Gardezi has expressed concern over the government's indifferent attitude regarding the problems of the people associated with agriculture in Pakistan feared that the farmers will undergo adversity that could weaken Pakistan's economy.
Gardezi said that it was difficult to understand why the malignant problems of the Agriculture sector were going unnoticed as the nation was continuously facing wheat shortage, lower returns and indigenous production problems of mango and horticulture industry.
He said, 'We are fortunate to have found Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani as the Prime Minister of Pakistan who belongs to a belt known as the granary of Pakistan and his constituency engulfs large stretch of mango orchards and rural domain. We believe that his personal interest in the problems of South Punjab can help alleviate the sense of deprivation and lessen the grievances of the agriculture community'. Further, the Kalabagh Dam was shelved due to the persistent mistrust shown by the smaller provinces of Pakistan however one cannot ignore the oncoming water crises that could aggravate a replicated Ethiopian situation, he said.
Furthermore, the potable underground water table has fallen much below and the entire agriculture community was now gradually becoming intolerant because of the continued expenses of lowering the borings of their tube-wells.
He said that rising costs of fuels have badly effected the growers' economy thereby reducing the use of tube-wells that was both costly and unmanageable. Gardezi also said that with the World's largest canal network running dry and encroached by land mafia, the future of the country could be at stake.
Moreover, Pakistan was a country of toiling farmers and God given terrain producing almost 52 different fruits apart from innumerable vegetables. 'yet we are unable to transform these God given opulence for the welfare of the producers and the masses from the past 58 years', he added.
He lauded the government for constituting the Economic Advisory Council comprising social activists, business leaders and economists under Shaukat Tareen hoped that it could help the government to address and implement issues of economic significance, But criticised for not involving representative from the Agriculture sector.
Comments
Comments are closed.