WHILE briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Food Security on May 4, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan admitted that both the federal and provincial governments have failed in taking appropriate measures to arrest a decline of the agriculture sector.

This is for the first time that the minister has also held his ministry equally responsible for the worsening condition of the sector. Earlier, he had been blaming the provinces only, directly or indirectly, sometimes by saying that after the 18th amendment, the performance of agriculture sector has declined. He conceded that the living conditions of the farming community were deteriorating day-by-day due to largely indifference of the federal government towards this vital sector.

As a result, small farmers are shifting from rural areas to cities in large numbers to earn livelihood for their children. There are about 8m small farmers, holding less than 12.5 acres.

According to an FAO report, the prices of primary commodities are likely to remain depressed on the global markets till 2019

The federal government has not been paying the kind of attention to the sector that it deserves. Farm inputs are costlier than in India. A recent comparison shows that urea is 25pc and DAP 40pc cheaper in India than Pakistan. Under the prevailing circumstances, the federal minister does not think that agriculture can still be called ‘backbone of Pakistan’s economy’.

Of late, some farmer organisations have been asking the federal government to declare an ‘agriculture emergency’ since the commodity prices at farm level have been at their lowest for the past three years and the gains one expects in crop farming are virtually being wiped out.

According to an FAO report, the prices of primary commodities are likely to remain depressed on the global markets till 2019. To face lower prices for another three years may be unbearable for small cultivators. For many, farming is rapidly becoming unsustainable.

Dr Hafeez A. Pasha, a senior economist, expects farm growth rate in the range of just 0.3-0.5pc for the current fiscal year. He is of the opinion that the livestock sector, which usually performs better than the crop sector, might not be able to compensate the deficiency in farm growth up to the desired level.

Bosan informed the NA standing committee that the Pakistan Agriculture Services and Storage Corporation (Passco) godowns at Karachi having a capacity of 17,600 tonnes had been under illegal occupation of private parties for the past 22 years. However, these godowns have now been vacated but after a protracted legal battle.

Why all regions in the country have much less per acre yields than the global average? One reason for this anomaly has been identified as small farm size in Punjab. Sindh has larger average farm size and better per acre yield of wheat, cotton and sugarcane than Punjab.

For instance, in 2013-14 Punjab cultivated wheat on 17,5235m acres and its average yield was 29 maunds. The wheat area in Sindh was 2.7703m acres and per acre yield was 36 maunds.

In March, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to start a consultative process with provincial governments and other stakeholders for working out a joint strategy to put the sector back on the right track.

A note sent by the Prime Minister Secretariat said the food security ministry shall ensure that the consultative process comes to an end in due course for approval and appropriate allocation of funds in the budget 2016-17.

There is a dire need for diversification in the agriculture sector by promoting new crops and modern techniques, reorientation of agriculture research for development of better crop varieties in terms of yield and pest resistance.

Mr Bosan had earlier requested the prime minister to increase budgetary allocation so that his ministry could take certain steps for the long-term development of the sector. But no increase was granted.

What has happened over the years is that since the devolution of the agriculture to the provinces, the federal budget had drastically been cut down while the provinces, although having their own budget, have become somewhat indifferent towards this sector, the minister claims.

Published in Dawn, Business & Finance weekly, May 16th, 2016