A win-win situation

I wonder how many people remember the invasion of locust hordes in Karachi in the sixties. I witnessed many of their invasions.

It was mostly in school that we would look out of the window and see a small black cloud approaching which would soon grow bigger and we could see the flapping of tiny wings as the locust started descending on the trees and other greenery around the city.

There were many myths associated with these creatures including their deadly attacks on humans, which were never verified.

The locust would specially target farmland that was in abundance around Karachi and has since shrunk before the onslaught of multi-storied buildings.

It were not only farms outside the city but inside the city there were many farm houses that raised cattle and provided milk and other related products.

The milk in our own house came from buffaloes that were looked after by the wife and children of a government official who indulged in this business to substantiate his income. These were early days of Pakistan and most government officials tried to live within their means.

Agriculture was the mainstay of our economy as we had not undergone the industrial revolution that followed after the takeover of the country by Field Martial Ayub Khan. Today agriculture is still holding the fort. Directly or indirectly the majority of the population is dependent on this sector.

It contributes about 24 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for half of employed labour force and is surprisingly the largest source of foreign exchange earnings. This explains the strong influence of agriculturists in Pakistani politics and their success on thwarting various attempts to bring them under a strong tax net.

While we see a lot of noise from other sectors in newspapers appealing to government for concessions it is not so frequent from the agriculture sector. This does not mean that this sector is not facing any problem.

Let us just have a glance at this sector. The main crops in Pakistan are wheat, cotton, rice, sugarcane and maize. Pakistan’s average crop yield is 2 metric tons per hectare, which is much lower than the global average of 4 metric tons. This is mainly due to outdated farming methods, the use of obsolete technology and the shortage of quality seeds.

The management of crop production presents many challenges for Pakistani farmers, including the absence of soil testing on farms, the unavailability and poor quality of fertilizers, loss during harvest, a lack of warehouses, machinery, and equipment, and, above all, a deterioration in soil fertility. It is not hard to understand the basic reason for these short comings.

For a long time the Pakistani farmer and especially the small timers who do not yield any political or social clout do not have access to funds and resources to address their problems. For the textile and other exporters and business houses it is not hard to approach financial institutions to obtain reasonable loans for their business.

It is not so easy for the farmers. Now that Pakistan has become a casualty to frequent floods the need for available finances has also grown exponentially. Other problems for the Pakistani farmer include old methods of sowing seeds. Non-cultivation of cultivable land also the concentration of land ownership, which is mostly male dominated.

Now is the time for revolutionary changes in our farming that will not only yield better crops in greater quantities but also address the other problems facing this vital part of our economy. New farming schemes from reputable organizations and financial institutions can take our farming sector to new heights. We need to introduce our hard-working farmers to better technologies and methods so that their land yields the results which has evaded us for so long.

Pakistan as the financial scene suggests is on a road to recovery. With the rupee gaining strength and the market stabilizing there is hope that we will soon see better days. Agriculture is a vital part of our economy and if it recovers and is enabled to reach its full potential we will soon be on the road to recovery and progress about which we have dreamt for so long. On the part of the farmers they too have to play their part by participating in new endeavors for resurgence of the farming sector. Working together, we will be able to achieve a win-win situation for all.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023