Agriculture relief package may not benefit farmers: expert

Agriculture is the economic engine of Pakistan and contributes 18.5 percent to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides 38.5 percent employment to the national labour force, though it has always remained a low priority for every elected government for over last two decades.
It was expressed by Prof Dr Muhammad Ismail Kumbhar, the agriculture expert of Sindh adding that the performance of agriculture sector has fallen short of desirable level, mainly because of stagnant productivity of all important crops. He further said this package would not benefit the farming community of Sindh because the farmers have already purchased and sown their Khareef crops 2020.
Dr Ismail Kumbhar further added that the government should also look after the ground realities to prepare the relief package. He said the landless and small farmers having below 12.5 acres land are suffering due to Covid-19 and lockdown situation and the supply chain and marketing of their production suffered.
Prof Kumbhar added that the farmers faced the problems of marketing their tomato, wheat and other vegetables due to weak demand and supply system in Sindh, simultaneously there is no proper agriculture marketing system to sell agriculture products and get benefit from their yield. He said weak agriculture policies and lack of coordination between the provincial and federal governments would create the havoc situation which will be aggravated in future.
Haroon Memon, a progressive farmer of Sindh said this relief will support the service provider especially seed and pesticide mafia and there is an effective mechanism for its implementation. Dr Dost Muhammad Memon, former adviser to CM Sindh and ex-MPA, added that this relief package will only benefit the large farmers and service providers and there is a need to proper monitoring and providing the scratch card to the farmers of Sindh.
Javed Soz Halai, working at field level, said govt should provide interest-free loans to small farmers helping them to bear the escalating cost instead of playing these gimmicks and govt should invest in seed research instead of doling out funds to mafia in the name of farmers.