Agri reform

****EDITORIAL: It cannot be stressed enough that for a country once blessed with a natural comparative advantage in agriculture, Pakistan’s persistent failure to protect, modernise and maximise this sector is nothing short of scandalous. Now that Punjab has set up yet another task force to figure out how to raise agricultural growth, there is finally some hope of the kind of institutional reform that might actually begin to reverse this long decline. But there’s also the lingering worry that it will go the way of most other high-level initiatives — more meetings, more papers, and still not enough action.****

Nobody needs to be reminded that agriculture has long been central to this economy’s functioning. Not only is it the source of employment for much of the labour force and critical to ensuring food security, it also feeds the entire textile industry — our largest industrial base and biggest source of exports. Yet the sector has faced decades of chronic neglect and poor policymaking, with no serious attempt to raise yields, develop domestic seed and fertiliser production, or build sustainable water and land use frameworks. Even the basics — like linking farmers to stable markets and prices — remain a problem.

That is why the task force’s mandate, if implemented properly, could mark a turning point. It promises better coordination between universities, research institutions, seed authorities, and agribusinesses — precisely the kind of ecosystem that has produced green revolutions elsewhere.

The revival of cotton is particularly urgent, since its collapse not only dragged down farm incomes but also forced textile producers to import raw materials. Then there is the need to develop and distribute climate-resilient seed varieties, especially as erratic weather patterns and extreme climate events wreak more havoc on traditional crop cycles. Access to high-quality and certified seed is also long overdue.

It is not just market logic or industrial policy that demands this reset. The IMF has been pressing for deregulation of agriculture as part of its wider reform blueprint. It sees clearly what local policymakers have refused to confront — that the sector is still weighed down by outdated structures and vested interests that distort incentives and suffocate efficiency. The existing subsidies regime, middlemen networks, and procurement bottlenecks enrich the few at the cost of the many. Reforming this system will not be easy, but it is necessary.

There’s also a broader urgency now, in light of the country’s recent twin crises of inflation and external vulnerability. Higher agricultural output would ease food prices, reduce import dependency, and support export earnings. But that cannot happen without structural change. Farmers need affordable inputs, reliable pricing, and access to markets. The private sector needs regulatory clarity. And the government needs to get out of the way where it no longer adds value.

It is encouraging that key stakeholders, including seed certification authorities and agricultural universities, are being brought into the process. But none of it will matter unless the final recommendations are followed by quick and visible execution. Reform in this space has always died at the implementation stage. The country cannot afford another failure.

Agriculture still has the potential to drive this economy forward. But it will take more than a task force and another round of policy papers. It will take political will, institutional coherence, and a fundamental shift in how the state thinks about this vital sector.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025