Submitting a set of suggestions on Tuesday for availability of flour and other foodstuff to public at affordable prices, Secretary General Jamaat-e-Islami Liaquat Baloch urged the Supreme Court to direct the federal and provincial governments to make special arrangements for subsidy on seeds and agriculture machinery to get the staple food at reasonable prices.
The JI has submitted a total of 17 proposals to control high food prices including flour (Aatta) in a matter under adjudication in the Supreme Court, saying that people were forced to purchase overpriced flour despite the fact that Pakistan is an agricultural country.
According to the recommendations, present regime is inclined to give Most Favoured Nation (MNF) status to India, but India has been resisting UN resolution of self-determination on Kashmir, considered to be the jugular vein of Pakistan. "The average crop yield in Pakistan is very low compared to advanced countries, the report said adding to raise the potential of agricultural production, continuous improvement in agricultural research was. Besides, the agricultural universities and colleges must also support research in agriculture sector, the JI emphasised.
The JI also urged the court to direct the authorities to ensure provision of water to agricultural land in the provinces. Water shortages, high prices of pesticides and fertilisers and lack of credit for small farmers are adversely hurting the farmers.
It said the total area of Pakistan was about 79.6 million hectares, of which only 23.7 million hectares (28 per cent) was used for cultivation. About eight million hectares area is not being utilised when Pakistan has a rich and vast natural resource base, covering various ecological and climatic zones with great potential for producing all types of food commodities.
"More than 75 percent people are engaged in agriculture sector and contributes 21 percent of total GDP to Pakistan's economy by providing employment to 45 percent of people," the JI added. Because of old methods of cultivation and harvesting, Pakistan has a low yield per acre that means the average crop in Pakistan is just 1/4th than advance states, the report said. Therefore modern techniques should be used to achieve maximum productivity and profits per acre, by applying modern techniques. China is getting 39 mounds of wheat per acre, which is the highest average production in the world whereas Pakistan's average per acre yield is 26 mounds.
"Districts which produces more crops by investing huge money should be given special preference and incentives," it said adding the government should take steps to promote and facilitate remaining districts for next year production. The JI further suggested the government to take back the decision of imposing Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC), which would increase fertilizer prices by Rs 400 to Rs 450 per bag and federal and provincial governments to double funds for agriculture, remove GST and advance taxes on agriculture inputs and increase credit allocation for agriculture sector without interest.
The prices of the commodities should be fixed by the government after consultation with farmers, keeping in view the cost of production of each crop cultivated by the farmer. The JI stressed that the government should eradicate soil erosion and restore soil energy likewise the water wastage is also very high in the country. It added that the archaic method of flood irrigation is still in practice in the entire country which wastes almost 50 to 60 percent of water. The JI said through the suggestions said that the government should introduce drip irrigation system to save water for proper irrigation.
It added that water logging and salinity is also increasing day by day but no effective measures have been taken to curb the menace. It also asked to allot lands to poor farmers in justified manner and according to the fair criteria set for the purpose to enhance productivity and per acre yield of crops.
The government should provide adequate infrastructure like, roads, storage facilities, and transport, electricity, education, sanitation and health to meet the requirement agricultural growth. Total length of farm-to-market road is not only shorter but their condition is also poor. Many villages have no metalled road at all, the suggestions added. Similarly the supply of modern inputs like high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides and mechanised machinery should also be provided to the farmers in abundance on cheap prices, it suggested.