Agriculture is the backbone of the national economy. Somehow, despite all the tall claims in the past self-sufficiency in foodgrains, if at all attained at one stage or the other, has not been sustained due to lack of proper planning as well as effective monitoring system.
President Pervez Musharraf quite rightly has taken strong exception to the food shortage in an agricultural country like Pakistan while presiding over a meeting of the Federal Food Committee in Islamabad.
The President, as reported by the media, has directed the quarters concerned that there should be an effective monitoring mechanism to check shortage of wheat, flour and other commodities in the country in future and further it should be ensured that no such shortage occurs again.
It is rather strange that while there was enough of wheat and flour available for domestic consumption, artificial shortage was created by the vested interests who fleeced public left and right and minted huge profits.
The President has attributed the shortage to the lack of proper management in this regard which has exposed the weaknesses of the system and called for immediate review of the availability of various commodities and evolving of a comprehensive strategy to ensure smooth supply of such items.
What the President has directed in fact should already be there. The President has issued a timely direction in this regard. In all fairness, the President should also have pulled up those responsible for not creating an effective monitoring system in the country for all these six decades of Pakistan's existence on the world map.
It cannot be justified in any manner that essential food items shortage occurs every now and then in an agrarian country and there is no effective monitoring system to ensure smooth supplies of the same at reasonable prices to the people. If at all a monitoring system is there, which it should be, then why it is not functioning properly and effectively?