Speaker NA presents agricultural growth strategy

ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser Monday handed over a comprehensive and integrated structural reforms oriented agricultural growth strategy for the next seven years to Minister for National Food Security and Research and sub-committee of the cabinet on agriculture.

The chief components of the strategy included Special initiatives for Balochistan, South Punjab, KP, Tharparkar, Cotton Revival program, Oilseed Development, Low-Cost Refinance Line of Credit and Credit Enhancement for Digital Production Finance, Digitization of Demand-Driven Extension Content, Integrated Seed System, Agriculture Climate Change Insurance Pool (Farmer Risk Transfer Mechanism) Satellite-based Crop Reporting), Establishment of Agriculture Development Authority for Coordination of Reform Implementation, linkages with Ehsaas, Kamyab Jawan and CPEC and incentives for promoting investment in warehousing, contract farming and farmers produce organizations.

He added that the overarching objective was to achieve agriculture growth rate of 7.5% p.a. by FY 2027-28 led and sustained by producer-owned integrated market-based value chains that incentivize producers to continue investing in modern and climate-smart production technologies, expansion of cultivated land area and value added activities

It was added that the overarching goal of the proposed strategy was to boost agricultural exports, accelerate rural-development driven economic growth, reduce rural poverty, enhance financial and gender inclusion in agricultural sector.

It was added that the proposed model envisioned a pro-poor growth strategy focusing on transformation of the business model of the 7.4 million smallholder farmers who cultivate 48% of the total cultivable land.

It was stated that the weak business model of the smallholder 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 modernization of the agriculture sector.

It was maintained that the proposed strategy drawing upon eco-system based, multi-pronged three phased strategy seeks to transform Pakistan’s subsistence agriculture into modern, diversified, competitive and high-value agriculture with a particular focus on productivity and profitability of the smallholders’ farmers.

The Speaker added that the plan was to accelerate the modernization of agriculture sector so that the sector can generate resources for the sustained development of the economy with a high degree of self-reliance.