There is no deny that agricultural sector is the backbone of the economy. But it is very sad and unfortunate that all this is only to the extent of saying. If this is true, then why the farmer is not given the respect and status he deserves. If agriculture is really the backbone, why is it not protected? Why is agriculture and farmers’ issues not being addressed? Looking at these contradictions, think if we are not abusing and oppressing ourselves and future generations. Every government talks about the development of agriculture and providing facilities to farmers, but these are nothing but rhetoric. Governments also engage in “negotiations” with farmers’ organizations when they protest, but the benefits of these negotiations do not reach the common farmer.

Just the claims and promises are not fulfilled. Farmers are as miserable as they were yesterday. Agriculture is the only sector in this country where there is no corruption or looting. In Pakistan, it is the farmers who earn their livelihood by their hard work, blood sweat and halal. But alas, all return to the farmer. Be it the patwari of the area, the concerned tehsil or kachhari, the owners of sugar mills and other related mills or the mandis of the market, everyone collects his share from the cultivator whenever he gets a chance. Before the creation of Pakistan, the Hindus were also doing the same thing.

Are farmers ever invited to talk shows every week? Do print and electronic media representatives visit farmers for interviews? Of course not at all, then it would be fair to say that agriculture is an unnecessary and unimportant sector of this country and the farmer is a common citizen.

What a shame that those claiming to be an agricultural country import wheat, sugar and even onions and tomatoes from other countries. Has anyone ever wondered why that is? The truth is that fifty percent of the country’s population lives in villages and these people and land provide food and employment to the rest of the country’s population. Agricultural lands are food treasures that if given attention will increase, not diminish or disappear, provided population is also controlled. Only 23.77 million acres of land in Pakistan is agricultural. This area constitutes 28% of the total land area of Pakistan.

The sad and noteworthy thing is that even out of 23.77 million acres of agricultural land, more than 8 million acres of land is lying idle. If agriculture is given immediate, thorough and comprehensive attention, the following major benefits will emerge. Migration from villages to cities will be substantially stopped and population pressure on cities will be reduced.

The country will become self-sufficient in food and we will be able to export surplus commodities including cotton. Agriculture related commodities will be easily available to the common man at cheap prices. Think how many of our problems we can get rid of through this most important sector by focusing on agriculture and providing facilities and facilities to the farmers.

We have been noticing a marked decrease in cultivation area, high prices of fertilizers, and the water issues in the country and the flash floods last summer. The irony is that wheat is our staple food and sixty per cent of our food intake consists of wheat flour.

During the 2021, we had bumper wheat but even then it could not meet our food requirement and the government had to import wheat from abroad to feed its people. On the other hand, the rising food imports are also costing us highly in the international market as our import bill has been swelling by billions of rupees.

As reported, the government has been spending over $8bn on the import of food items every year to meet the requirement of food shortage. It may be mentioned here that due to the rise in population, the consumption of food items is increasing while the production is not increasing at the same pace due to which there is a gap in the supply and demand of food items. And the government is compelled to import the same. The shortfall is going to further aggravate in the coming months as there is no long-term strategy in place. It ought to be mentioned with concerns that we lack adequate agri policies to address the concerns of farmers, who are running from pillar to post to gain due attention.

As a matter of fact, the increasing cost of farming in the country and adverse weather conditions are shying away farmers from growing more crops which is evident from less plantation of wheat and other food crops in 2021 in the country.

The high diesel and fertilizers have made it difficult for farmers to meet the crop cultivation requirements.  A recent report says that an estimated 43 per cent of people in our country are facing food shortages while 18 per cent actually suffer from insecure food availability.

The International Food Security Assessment by the US Department of Agriculture recently said that in the coming decade from 2021-31 reveals that an estimated 38 percent of Pakistan’s population will suffer from food insecurity as our country is faced with the largest food gap.

 No one can deny that man cannot survive without water and food. That is, air, water and food are very important and necessary for human life, then what is the reason why we do not take those steps which are very necessary. The answer is very clear that we all do not want to get out of the circle of  neglecting our agriculture sector.

As long as the plight of the farmers is ignored, the focus on agriculture and the country’s self-sufficiency in food will remain a dream, but the realization of this dream can be very scary. There is still time to focus on agriculture and make the country at least self-sufficient in food by providing facilities to farmers.

Published in The Daily National Courier, April, 27 2023

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