A SUB-COMMITTEE of the Kissan Commission is mulling a policy that may lead to a paradigm shift from the current pricing policy — ‘accessible staple supplies to all, especially to the poor, at an affordable price’.

The subsidised price of wheat, critics say, was tantamount to pandering to the urban consumers at the cost of producers. Under the existing policy, artificially low prices negatively impact agriculture.

If the new policy gets the final nod from Punjab’s chief executive and the provincial assembly, effort would then be concentrated on looking at agriculture as a business model and strive for its commercial success.

The in process policy suggests elaborate plans for technological advancement, areas of investment, infrastructural development, human resource betterment, improvement of sector-wise governance and need for continuous policy revision.

For technological improvement, before moving forward, the policy suggests taking stock of previous interventions, like the high efficiency irrigation systems which had cost the provincial exchequer billions of rupees in subsidies, and seeing how efficient these initiatives have been.

If the policy gets the final nod ... effort would be focused on looking at agriculture as a business model

For the future, it wants Punjab to invest, first and foremost, in seed technology, which has assumed added significance due to climate change. Low productivity and regular crop failure also calls for investment. Re-engineering all machines according to crop needs, standardisation of design and metallurgy also gets due share in the document that is being finalised.

For investment and infrastructure, the document underlines the need for a comprehensive rural development plan.

It notes that, according to a previous study, most of the 25,000 villages in the province, on average, are still 6km away from metalled roads, hindering the movement of goods and services in rural areas — the primary cause of 40pc post-harvest losses.

The document thus advocates for a comprehensive development programme. Significant stress is given to research and development, which is almost negligible in the sector.

In the last ten years, its premier institution — The Punjab Agriculture Research Board (Parb) — has not spent more than Rs1bn, which makes Rs100m a year — for a sagging sector worth Rs1.2tn. Unless the government develops a long-term R&D plan, all other efforts will fail.

The policy further propagates improving agricultural governance in the province.

Almost all laws (seed, fertiliser, pesticides, markets, machinery and cooperatives) governing the sector have long outlived their utility. The Seed Act, framed in 1976, was updated in 2015 but is still to take its final shape.

The most crucial missing component is the implementation mechanism. There is a need to refresh the existing provincial legal framework and, even more importantly, develop an effective monitoring mechanism.

Along with re-casting these laws, Punjab should develop a system of continuously updating its laws incorporating technological and environment changes. The fast pace of development in technology (precision agriculture being one example and climate-smart technology another) requires a quick response.

Lastly, but certainly not finally, the policy underlines the need for human resource development for the sector.

Currently, the sector, like most other areas, has suffered a lack of scientists who can lead the effort. The failure of research and development led to brain-drain as is the case in other sectors. The policy document asks the province to devise a plan to attract the right talent for research.

This policy is the first attempt by Punjab to create its own roadmap.

Published in Dawn, Business & Finance weekly, November 14th, 2016