KARACHI: Are we an agriculture country or an industrial country, this is a very serious question in the mind of every one who is even little bit interested to know the potentials of economic growth of Pakistan, said Ateeq ur Rahman, economic & financial analyst.
We have to find out the causes of our agricultural backwardness and decay in the industrialization so as to boost the economic growth of the country, he said.
One has to understand that we are a third world country under the developing stage but continuously we are facing a broken and complex economy due to decline in our agricultural and industrial output together, added Ateeq.
The major segments in the declining agricultural output are inadequate transport from farm to market, soil erosion, shortage of canal water, lack of infrastructure/ capital/ mechanism and technology/ high quality of seeds and fertilizers, etc., and no subsidy in electric tariff for tube-wells. Also less reward to farmers, corruption and government’s non serious attitude are the other major factors.
He said that he major factors in declining of industrial output are growing energy cost, shortage of gas, rising petroleum prices, expensive logistics and supply chain, massive taxation, highest interest rate, expensive imported raw material, various window contacts and non working of economic or industrial zones, corruption and government’s non serious attitude.
We, being among the poorest nations of the world and without realizing our responsibility, always poured out our disappointments and bitterness among each other; thus creating a political chaos of point of no return for the development of these two most important sectors of our economy, he said.
This is an economic malaise and would result in the suspension of these sectors. Government should play its responsibility and come forward to eliminate the factors causing destruction of our agricultural and industrial sectors, he said. Here, the principals of “hybrid economy” apply where private and public sector work together for the betterment of the economy of a country, he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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