While speaking as Guest speaker at Institute of Policy studies-IPS
(http://www.ips.org.pk/) Islamabad in Pre-Budget
seminar Dr.Pirzada Observed:
‘Agriculture sector
in Pakistan, like in most of the other developing countries in the region, has
had mixed performance over years since
creation of Pakistan. Public sector agricultural policies primarily focused on
self-sufficiency regime; and so called Green Revolutions era helped many
national governments, including Pakistan, to meet this policy object at least
in the short run.
Policy Deficit:
Given the shortcomings of Green Revolution model-, especially
resulting over-mining due to input intensification of natural resource base, at
first place sustainability of self-sufficiency paradigm is at stake. Further,
the policy context has entirely changed and the self-sufficiency paradigm has
become irrelevant in the context of multilateral trading regime pursuing freer
trade.
Challenges:
The challenges posed by
growing number of more mouths to feed , growing urbanization, freer trade under
multilateral trading system, climate change(CC) and unsustainable production
& consumption; coupled with gradual realization of paradigm shift from agriculture through
industry to services, is bound to impact
negatively on agricultural contribution
to GDP, sectoral employment capacity and
agricultural profitability & food/nutrition security.
The estate sector expansion and debilitating land and water
resources available for agriculture sector along with unsustainability of production
can further compromise the development of agriculture on commercial scale.
Way-Forward:
To help arrest this
likely trend, Pakistan needs to come out of both self-sufficiency & primary
commodity production paradigm. To this end, provincial governments after 18th
Constitutional Amendment in support from Federal Government have to make serious and concerted efforts to
develop value-added agriculture sector, by mainstreaming value-chain management
across all subsectors of agriculture, strictly adhering to and complying with international
standards regime e.g. GAP, food safety & environmental standards, and
investing in farm research to augment per unit productivity through innovative agricultural
technologies & production. Investing in green skills & cleaner
agricultural technologies will help smoothen Pakistan’s agricultural
development, on sustainable lines and in keeping with Green Economy
requirements.
Alongside credit access, rural based agro-based industrial
& services development will help arrest urbanization and generate
additional employment opportunities for youth in rural Pakistan.
Finally targeted subsidies-to source inputs- fertilizer,
electricity & water, for small & landless farmers; and compensatory
policies like crop/livestock insurance needs to be introduced.
Recommendations:
i.
Investment in value chain management: Duty free import of Equipment e.g.
for Fruit/ Mango pulp production and chillers for dairy sector
ii.
Investment in SPS quality infrastructure- border control of diseases, food safety
& veterinary public health
iii.
Establishment of Early Warning Systems for disasters & CC Mitigation-
Famine/drought, flooding and CC observatory in the country
iv.
Institutionalization of compensatory policies such as crop/livestock insurance and targeted
subsidies for resource poor farmers
v.
Investment in innovative & problem solving research driven towards
development goals’
While
responding to the presentation made by fellow panelist Dr. Pirzada demanded for provision of social pension, if not universal at least means-tested’
for the elderly in Pakistan in the Finance Bill 2015-16.
