ISLAMABAD: The sub-committee of the National Assembly Special Committee on Agricultural Products envisaged agriculture growth rate at 7.5 percent by fiscal year 2027-28 led and sustained by producer-owned integrated market-based value chains that incentive producers to continue investing in modern and climate-smart production technologies, expansion of cultivated land area and value-added activities.
The growth strategy was presented by the sub-committee of the National Assembly Special Committee on Agricultural Products, which is constituted by the speaker National Assembly.
The sub-committee met with Shandana Gulzar in the chair here on Wednesday to discuss the (i) presentation of the sub-committee’s proposed agricultural growth strategy; (ii) discussion on agriculture-specific new initiatives of government of Punjab; (iii) discussion on agriculture-specific new initiatives of government of Sindh.
The meeting was part of the process to consult provinces, take their input, and bridge gaps. The committee presented structural reforms-oriented agricultural growth strategy for the next seven years, during the ongoing consultations with the provinces.
After finalisation, the report would be submitted to the Cabinet Committee on Agriculture and later to the prime minister. The meeting was attended by Punjab Agriculture Minister Syed Hussain Jahanian Gardezi, Member Committee Ayesha Ghous Pasha, and others.
Shandana Gulzar said that after the 18th Constitutional amendment, there are problems in the provinces and the federation working together.
An agriculture authority is being proposed for increased coordination and improving working relations of the provinces and the federal government, she added. The proposed authority will be headed by the prime minister and will include all the provinces, Shandana Gulzar added.
The Convener of the Sub-Committee presented structure of the agriculture sector followed by a presentation of the Sub-Committee’s proposed strategy.
She stated that the proposed programme was prepared after comprehensive consultation with all the stakeholders including the private sector, provinces, development sector, legislators, and progressive growers.
She highlighted that the goal of the proposed strategy is to boost agricultural exports, accelerate rural development-driven economic growth, reduce rural poverty, and enhance financial and gender inclusion in the agricultural sector.
She said that the inconsistent growth patterns of the agricultural sector reveals lack of consistency in policy and planning for the sector.
She stated that the weak business model of the small farmers comprising low bargaining power, low access to finance, low yields, fragmented market segment, lack of access to competitive markets, and high production cost hindered the modernisation of the agriculture sector.
Shandana Gulzar further added that the proposed strategy drawing upon eco-system based, multi-pronged three-phased strategy seeks to transform Pakistan’s subsistence agricultural into modern, diversified, competitive and high-value agriculture with a particular focus productivity and profitability of the small farmers.
She maintained that in a value-chain approach, in Phase-1 of the strategy, an alternate value chain structure for the small farmers would be implemented to increase their crop yield, and milk and meat productivity, driving agriculture GDP growth and farmer incomes.
In the next phase, the GDP growth would be driven mainly by increase in the farm land by small farmers further increasing their incomes.
In the 3rd Phase, the small farmers would graduate toward high-value crops and value addition. The Punjab agriculture minister said that rural development was very important.
It is necessary to work on rural development for the development of the agriculture sector, he added.
Ayesha Ghous Pasha said that India is exporting meat but Pakistan is not exporting it. Beef, mutton, and poultry should be exported, she added. We are ordering beef from Australia, she added.
All vaccines are being imported from abroad, said officials, adding that animal quarantine centres are also being set up. They further said that measles is a major problem for meat exports. Animal produces less milk, said Punjab officials. The dairy sector is heavily subsidised globally, which is not the case here, said the Punjab agriculture minister.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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