Proposal on agriculture reforms approved by Cabinet

The federal cabinet has disapproved a proposal on agriculture reforms presented by the Ministry of National Food Security and Reforms (MNFS&R) in the draft National Food Security Policy as the matter is sub judice in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, well-informed sources told Business Recorder. The decision was taken by the cabinet in its meeting held on March 21, 2018, presided over by the Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
The policy envisages measures to introduce changes in the country's cropping system and reducing area under cultivation of rice and sugarcane crops and diverting land towards the cultivation of high value crops, such as oilseeds, pulses, soybean, horticulture crops and fodder. Ministry of Textile Industry has also proposed that provinces should stop granting permission for setting up new sugar mills in the cotton growing areas that accounts for a decline in cotton plantation.
The policy also says that the support price for procurement of imported food crops such as pulses and oilseeds may be introduced to promote import substitution rather than subsidizing export of wheat and sugar. It was also pointed out that the proposal for land reforms given under section 6.1.3 land water resources management' had been declared un-Islamic by the Federal Shariah Court and the case is sub judice in the Supreme Court.
The cabinet was informed that draft National Food Security policy was prepared and shared with all the stakeholders including the provincial governments, civil society and relevant organisations of the federal government. A consultative workshop was also held on the subject, and inputs and suggestions received from the stakeholders were incorporated in the final draft.
The cabinet was briefed that the draft policy aimed at ensuring food availability, improving food access, enabling food utilization and ensuring food stability, alleviating poverty, eradicating hunger & malnutrition, promoting sustainable food production systems and making agriculture more productive, profitable, competitive and climate resilient.
The NFS&R Division is envisaged to have oversight on policy implementation through an implementation committee and to create Councils and Commissions on specific activities and programs. Furthermore, the Ministry would take overall lead in implementing the policy, with provincial governments playing their role in agriculture related matters in the wake of 18th Constitutional amendment.
During discussion on draft National Food Security Policy in the federal cabinet, it was noted that National Zero Hunger Program would not be possible without proper profiling of at-risk population. For this, the government should study Brazilian model and develop a project/program under the proposed policy. It was pointed out that as most of the recommendations pertained to the provinces, and the policy provided an appropriate framework for coordination with them, the federal government should provide support to them for implementation of the policy.
The need for formalizing farm labour and providing them access to the existing regulatory framework viz. minimum wages and social security benefits, etc, was also emphasized. Adoption of this framework would protect the rights of agriculture workers and would ensure access, and more importantly, affordability of farm produce to the poor segments of the rural population.
The policy also noted that there was need for investing in research centres, which should be encouraged to undertake extension work in the field to raise agriculture productivity which could also be enhanced through managing and minimizing food losses and waste.