IN its third quarter report, the State Bank of Pakistan maintained that minor crops suffered a 3.5pc decline during the reported time, hobbling agricultural growth to 2.1pc against the targeted 2.9pc.

The minor crops, according to it, had shown a growth of 6.5pc in the previous year, but went down by 3.5pc — a cumulative loss of around 10pc within a span of one year. If pulses production, normally considered part of a poor man’s diet, can go down so steeply in a year, there is hardly any way to save the poor from malnutrition.

Interestingly, the report also shows slow growth of livestock. This refutes governmental claims that had been stubbornly showing around 3pc growth in the sector.

But for minor crops, the bank also needs to clarify what parameters the policymakers have created to measure growth or decline in those crops. The State Bank only measures the production figures and is obviously not mandated to look into policy steps leading to those figures.

Those, who are mandated to create that policy environment, do not simply seem interested in such an exercise. Punjab has written twice to the federal government in the last one year to create ‘ national missions, for pulses and vegetables. The federation is yet to even acknowledge those letters, let alone respond to the suggestion.

Farmers are switching over to major crops. According to the central bank report for the third quarter FY14, major crops grew by 3.7pc, while minor crops declined by 3.5pc. All subsidies, which had mainly been supporting minor crops, have been withdrawn over the years

Punjab wrote those after realising that it has very limited options when it comes to pulses and vegetables. Both are no more its crops because of two factors: market forces are promoting other competitive crops and eating into areas of pulses and vegetables, and erratic weather is hugely affecting production.

For the last more than one decade, all subsidies, which normally sustained the minor crops, have been withdrawn. On top of that, every input is now taxed heavily. With the cost of production going steeply up, farmers are left to withstand market forces as well as cartilisation, which the government cannot control. This situation, even in case of competitive crops like cotton, is getting out of the farmers’ hands. And crops like pulses never had a chance in such an competitive environment.

As agriculture grows, farmers are switching over to major crops. According to the State Bank report, major crops grew by 3.7pc, while minor crops declined.

The second factor that has hit these crops is weather. All these crops, or at least most of them, fall in barrani (rain-fed) areas of Punjab. During the last few years, climate has turned unpredictable. It rains when not required and it does not when needed.

Gram and moong, having the same sowing season and area, fell victim to the vagaries of the weather last year. It did not rain last October and a long dry spell followed, ruining both crops and farmers in those areas. If the weather turns favourable, Pakistan reaps over 750,000 tonnes of gram. If it does not, production falls to 220,000 tonnes — a difference of nearly 400pc.

In Punjab, the area under these crops is also declining each year; though productivity gains are there, albeit sporadic and erratic. Thus, Punjab wanted the federation to sit with it, identify pockets in other provinces (particularly Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtukhwa), bring them under a national commission and move on. Unable to convince the federation, it made small efforts on its own when

it spared Rs148m for pulses and another Rs400m for vegetables. But it knows it would not help much, and is still trying to enlist the support of the federation and other provinces to launch a national rather than separate provincial plans.

The national government needs to realise that its new policy environment, coupled with the climate effect, does not leave much space for peripheral crops like pulses. They need to be planned and promoted for social reasons, rather than allowed to fall victim to commercialisation. Pakistan agriculture statistics show huge areas falling in the category of 100pc cropping intensity. It shows that farmers simply do not sow if the crop does not stand a chance of getting better returns. The government needs to create space for crops that have as much social as economic value.

Published in Dawn, Economic & Business, July 21st, 2014