June 11, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 06, 1429

KARACHI, June 10: No reason was mentioned in the Economic Survey as to why all successive governments had been focusing on only four major crops, which collectively accounts for one third of the entire agriculture sector.However, the report pinpoints clearly the political domination of large growers and sugar cartel, who kept on exploiting the economy in their favour in each government.

The survey says that the focus on only four major crops, namely wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton, resulted in decline of agriculture contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which slipped to 20.9 per cent from 24.1 per cent in 2001-02.

Except cotton, which is export-oriented agriculture product, all three major crops were used to yield maximum price through hoarding, black marketing and creating artificial shortage. The current year witnessed a unique situation as only 0.5 per cent shortage in wheat production created crisis pushing the prices more than double in favor of those having large stocks of wheat. More surprising was the case of rice, which was produced double than the home consumption and being exported but its prices rose by 2 to 2.5 times.

The survey mentioned that rest of the two-third agriculture sector was neglected by each government despite knowing that livestock was the largest segment of the agriculture sector.

“Livestock, which accounts for more than one-half of the agricultural value addition, has been the major victim of the total neglect of the governments all along until few years ago when this sector started receiving some attention,” said the survey.

“A continued emphasis on four major crops and neglect to the other sub-sectors of agriculture and stagnant yields, the contribution of agriculture to overall GDP is bound to shrink further in the coming years,” it added.

The survey commented that no emphasis was laid on increasing yield per acre of these four crops neither any policy support for diversification of agriculture sector was made.

Heavy subsidies have been provided to wheat growers at the cost of tax- payers’ money but the end-users, the common people, never received benefit of these subsidies.

The political set-up looks again in favour of large growers as they control the top ministries in the new government. There is little hope that the trend on focusing on only four major crops would change.