Report on Pakistan’s Agriculture
Table of Contents
Why agricultural sector is suffering. 3
1. Illegal cutting of water. 3
2. Improper maintenance of watercourses. 4
4. No water user associations (WUAs) 4
5. Lack of agricultural support 5
Strategies for Agricultural improvement 5
1. Remapping of agriculture strategic plan. 5
2. Technological developments in agriculture. 6
Promotion in the Energy sector. 8
Agricultural research centers. 9
The rampant increase in demand has urged the stakeholders to engage boasters in the agriculture sector. It is Pakistan where the farming and fortune of millions are so linked, therefore, it requires persistent up-gradation and monitoring that will ensure the success of the whole nation
Introduction
The agriculture sector of Pakistan is uninterruptedly engaged in the recreation of the economy for 7 decades of its evolution. It is malignant that old methodologies cannot fetch production that can feed 22 billion-plus of the population. Pakistan is blessed with fertile land with an ideal ecological climate for agriculture, livestock, and horticulture more than India, China, and the USA however producing lesser because of non-accepting behavior towards advancement.
It is one of the big reasons for low agricultural production despite a plethora of policies. Further, loopholes like governance issues, lack of investment, research, and most importantly societal irresponsible behavior deplete the scope of this sector. Their unwillingness to cooperate and adoption of new techniques have led them economically feeble and depress. 60% of Pakistanis are rural and their major sources of income belong to agriculture production hence the effective line of action and technical expertise is significant to keep the economy floating in the shape of industrial growth, educational development, better standards of living, etc. that will consequently upsurge per capita income, national income and human and research development index. Moreover, progressive agricultural production is the need of rampant increase in demand that urges stakeholders to engage boasters in the agriculture sector, in the belief that millions of Pakistanis fortune are strongly integrated with farming hence persistent up-gradation and monitoring system that will ensure the success of a whole nation. The following tables show the contribution of agriculture (that includes crops, poultry, livestock, forestry, and fishing) in terms of GDP.
Agricultural Contribution
GDP %
Important Crops
3.83
Crops
10.80% in agriculture, 2.08% in GDP
Cotton Ginning
11.85% in GDP
Livestock
58.92% in agriculture, 11.11% in GDP
Forestry
2.09% in agriculture, 0.39% in GDP
Fishing
1.63% in GDP
Additionally, the below figure is showing the massive contribution of agriculture in comparison to the other sectors, which revealed its importance in the study.
Agriculture and Poverty
Poverty is rampant in Pkiatsna, especially in its rural areas. Millions are depriving of necessities like minimum income, housing, clothing, education, healthcare, sanitary facilities, and basic human rights. This sector generates almost 20.9% of the country’s GDP. It provides 43.4% of the employment to its workforce. Nealy, 65.9% of the rural population is directly or indirectly liked with the agriculture sector for their livelihood. Over time, the population is rising inland is shrinking, water and food demands are increasing sharply, land degradation at the widespread area and inadequate infrastructure are main concerns concerning Pakistan’s agriculture sector. in past researches, a strong linkage has been identified between agriculture and poverty. In poverty alleviation studies it is identified that agriculture can be its major source and one of eth rapidly growing sectors in the future of Pakistan. Therefore, it is suggested that different programs like provision of easy credit to the small farmer, good quality pesticides and fertilizers, harvester and tractor services, improvement in an irrigation system and, working on framers’ training and education. Along with eth population growth which is not less than a ticking bomb for Pakistan’s economy, some of the major issues to this sector are as given below:
Why agricultural sector is suffering
In a study, the visits to fields and discussions with the farmers identified some following major problems to the agricultural sector of Pakistan that are as follows. Year-wise growth in 2020 was 2.67 percent in the agriculture sector that contributed 19.3 percent to the GDP. However, it is lower than the target of 3.5 percent but higher than the previous year’s growth rate of 0.58%. Summary of the agricultural growth from the year 2017 to 2018 is given as:
1. Despite the good average growth, wheat and maize crop production remained subdued.
2. The important crops sector performed well and grew by 3.83% of the rate.
3. Other crops having a share of 10.80% in agriculture grew by 3.33% than last year.
4. Livestock shares 58.92% in agriculture and 11.11% in GDP, 1ith a record growth of 3.76%.
5. The forestry sector shares 2.09% in agriculture and 0.39% in GDP with a positive growth of 7.17%.
1. Illegal cutting of water
Influential people used to divert the direction of water resources for their usages and farmers let empty-handed to nourish their crops. Canals are broken from many parts, no repair is being done periodic wise, even canal infrastructure is not even enough available to provide water to all the fertile land equally. And farmers at the tail regions hardly receive water for their fields. In a study by (Ashraf, Kahlown, & Ashfaq, 2007), it is reported that the underdevelopment of lands is also one of the causes of the irregular water blockage by powerful and rich farmers to keep the water confined to their lands. This practice does not only affect the agricultural production but skewed the wastage of huge investment spend on the construction of water pathways. Lack of proper monitoring system due to non-scheduled rotations, and insufficient field eyekeepers regulate the unjust behavior among farmers. According to the study (Ahmad, 1999), equity in water distribution is one of the crucial factors for water resource management. And inequity only results in frustration, distrust, lack of interest in the agricultural sector and watercourses maintenance programs, and the emergence of disputes over land and water rights, and so forth. Table 2.2 taken from the website of the paksitan statistics bureau is showing the rampant decrease in the availability of water to different important crops of Pakistan.
2. Improper maintenance of watercourses
Most of the watercourses are badly maintained. Mostly are full of sand and bushes because of which blockade appears at various places. They are also broken at several points along with the issue of the non-cleanliness of watercourses. Due to improper repair and maintenance of irrigation systems, 65% of the water is lost while transmission (Early et al., 1976). The proper repair and maintenance of these watercourses are very important to save the irrigated land and for the growth of production.
3. Poor field’s channels
Due to the poor training, education, and cheap water availability, flood irrigation is common in use. The field channels are not designed and structured properly together with the undulated fields structure, a considerable quantity of water is wasted in the channels.
4. No water user associations (WUAs)
The non-existent of WUAs, water rights do not follow properly. Most areas are deprived of these associations that could protect and look after the watercourses of a particular area with just distribution. Due to their non-existence and non-functionality, many disputes arise among farmers related to water distribution. In his study, Early et al. (1976) has stressed the need for the sustainable existence of WUAs that could maintain the improved watercourses with effective utilization of sacre water resources.
5. Lack of agricultural support
There is a need to form WUA institutes means water user associations, change in cultural practices where water and other resources get wastes just as a social sign, adoption of improved irrigation, the introduction of high quality or valued crops, etc. all these services are aimed to motivate the farmers towards their dignified jobs and national production growth contribution. However, it is observed that these services are hardly available in the agricultural fields. Similarly, Farm Water Management activities are also very limited. There is a dire need to eth improve agronomically and farm water handling practices, improved the quality of varieties of seeds, expansion of apprenticeships to the farmers to enhance their knowledge about the extension services is very important to improve the agricultural sector (Hussain & Perera, 2004). Further, the extension system is also responsible for the water-saving practices, improvement in poor incentives, and low-cost budget.
Strategies for Agricultural improvement
1. Remapping of agriculture strategic plan
Natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, locusts attacks, etc. happened in abundance in the Southern region of Pakistan that caused a great level of destruction in eth absolute crop production. About 0.5 million acres of the Sindh land is occupied by this destruction. Huge destruction occurs to Onion, Chilies, potatoes, tomatoes, and other food crops. Millions of animals like sheep, cows, buffaloes, etc. died every year. This huge loss to crops and livestock suffered great losses to the agriculture sector. hence, there is a need to remap the strategic plan by adopting:
1. Providence of interest-free loans to the farmers.
2. Awareness programs to combat the uncertainties and challenges.
3. Strategic collation between the government sector and private landowners to reconcile the agricultural sector for the nation’s welfare.
4. Serious concentration by the government towards agricultural development.
5. Inculcation of updated and advance machinery and technology to the agricultural sector of Pakistan for better hygiene and better food standards.
6. Development skills and capabilities programs for Human capital and capacity building via academic programs and other research and development campaigns in the agriculture sector.
7. There is a need to involve more sophisticated agricultural businesses in the food processing and dairy sector.
8. Private sectors need to be involved more and more.
9. Government should take steps for the proper utilization of food commodities; either finished or semi-finished to minimize wastages and maintenance of food quality
10. Further, there is a need for forestry improvement to provide sufficient value that increases growth patterns.
2. Technological developments in agriculture
In a study by Johnston and Mellor (1961), it is revealed that agriculture has a strong and direct linkage to agricultural processing. A large manufacturing share is agriculturally related in the development stages (Pryor & Holt, 1999). Additionally, production growth and technological change in the agriculture sector are related to lower food prices, which resultantly turn held urban wages down and stimulate industrialization and its transformation.
A globalized era has a huge impact on all of the countries and has made their markets aggressive. The private sector and its investment have made agriculture commercial. Agricultural technologies are generated based upon the demand as everybody cannot approach technology in the same way as minor categories could. Old technologies are getting outdated as they are outgoing in the pretext of dynamic changes in the world market. Improved crops can easily be adopted but it has not happened when it comes to other technologies like machinery, irrigation, high-tech agriculture, and so on. Commercial farmers are more favorable towards the technology than small farmers and can retain technology for a long time.
In many developing countries, improved cultivators, mechanization, best management practices, high-quality plant nutrition, etc. have been contributing to the best crop yields. In the early 1960s, the green revolution predominated for the increase in food production. During this stage, wheat and rice yields increased to many folds. The green revolution in the 1970s caused a decline in rural poverty and enhance the purchasing power of the people. Advancements in agricultural technology and science have improved food, nutritional security, and overall productivity that led to the reduction in poverty. According to the study of (Chadha, 2003), conducted in India, indicated that new technologies benefit the poor farmers. Even the green revolution that went against the poor working-class farmers because of the technology, benefited them later. Thus, the technological benefits accrue to the second generation and so on to benefit the poverty-stricken people. Therefore, more and more research should be done for technological improvements means for poor framers and other indirect dealers for long-term development.
Asian successes are evidenced by the technological breakthrough in form of high-quality crop yield of rice and wheat that made a historical and unprecedented jump in Asian agricultural growth. In the present technological scenario, biotechnology has emerged as a scientific endeavor giving rise to sustainable agriculture. Genomic research and biotechnology are some of the conventional and modern scientific experiment results that could prove a panacea for rising the scientific infrastructure and socio-economic conditions in developing countries such as Pakistan. Worldwide, biotechnology benefits are exploited for agricultural knowledge augmentation with genome reshuffling to address the environmental and major agricultural problems such as drought, salinity, and biodiversity degradation, and so forth. In Pakistan, the majority of the rain-fed area and the irrigated area is salt-affected. Different strategies, during the green revolution, based on physio-chemical methods have been proposed by the scientific communities for sustainable agriculture attainment.
3. Change in Policies
Following the mid-1960s food crisis, led the Indian and Pakistan governments to concentrate on irrigated areas like Punjab for the greatest crop yield (Sims, 1986). Despite a similar agro-ecological environment, the agricultural performance of both states is highly different related to the differences in nonprice policies, price incentives, and so on. Massive subsidization in fertilizer prices, power, credit, and irrigation inputs occur in price policies. Subsidies are provided in both nations, between 1981 to 1993, in India its rate is 9 to 12% a year in real terms that account for the 2.2 and 2.7 % of GDP by the end of period (Gulati & Sharma, 1995). However, in Pakistan, it is related to the stronger biasness toward large farmers, as shown by (Sims, 1986). Input subsidies in both nations are maintained at better than from an initial period.
4. Lack of politicization
Those elite farmers who get elected on political seat started dominating the small and medium farmers and become major beneficiaries. Such a trend exists in India but is completely entrenched in Pakistan. Such politicization in the agricultural sector needs to be stopped if an actual growth prototype needs to be adopted.
5. Non-price factors
In Pakistan, similar to India, basic food grains’ output prices are taxed to maintain low prices of food. Such control on food marketing keeps grain prices below world prices. Problem expounded by the difference in the exchange rate and tariff protection in both states. Despite the high amount of subsidies, there is a large transfer of resources out of the agriculture sector in net terms. The similar pricing strategies in India and Pakistan, together with the empirical proof on agricultural supply and input elasticities, suggest that the differences in performance between both are the result of non-price factors as supported by the studies. these studies show that investments in human capital, rural infrastructure, and research play a pivotal role in influencing productivity growth and supply (Binswanger, Khandker, & Rosenzweig, 1993).
6. Public Expenditure
India is expected to be at a top-notch position than Pakistan when it comes to the comparison between Asian states in terms of public expenditures in infrastructure and education, as evident by the cost function analysis (Chandio, Jiang, Rehman, Jingdong, & Dean, 2016). India has made more rampant growth in agriculture and other sectors as well because of the massive investment in human capital, rural infrastructure, and research, etc. Thus, Pakistan needs to follow in the same footsteps.
7. Promotion in the Energy sector
Since the mid of the 1980s, India’s greater village part has been electrified in comparison to the rural villages of Pakistan. Its road density and network are better than the Pakistan Punjab. India’s irrigated land is 90% more than the cropped area of Pakistan (Fan, Hazell, & Thorat, 1998). Therefore, Pakistan needs to invest in pkaistan’s energy sector to be planted in the Village are f Pakistan. This step will not only increase production but remove poverty and reduce the urbanization rate.
8. Agricultural research centers
Governments should increase their education budget towards knowledge and skill enhancement along with the establishment of a network of universities where agricultural experiments are being done and other agricultural research centers as made by India in most of the cities (Ranjitha, 1998).
Concluding Remarks
The agriculture sector of Pakistan is uninterruptedly engaged in the recreation of the economy for 7 decades of its evolution. It is malignant that old methodologies cannot fetch production that can feed 22 billion-plus of the population. Pakistan is blessed with fertile land with an ideal ecological climate for agriculture, livestock, and horticulture more than China, European states, and the USA, etc. however producing lesser because of non-accepting behavior towards advancement. In this paper, major issues with the agricultural sector of Pakistan have been discussed along with viable and holistic solutions. Limitations like governance issues, lack of investment, research, and most importantly societal irresponsible behavior deplete the scope of this sector, which needs complete overhauling. Progressive agricultural production is the need of rampant increase in demand that urges stakeholders to engage boasters in the agriculture sector, in the belief that millions of Pakistanis fortune are strongly integrated with farming hence persistent up-gradation and monitoring system that will ensure the success of the whole nation.
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