THIS is apropos of Faisal Bari’s article ‘Why not land reforms?’ (April 26). I am a farmer and a doctor as well.

India observed a significant decline in agricultural productivity after redistributing land to the landless.

This was because of extreme fragmentation of land which made agriculture a low-profit venture. In my opinion, challenges to the agriculture sector in Pakistan like the expensive fertiliser and pesticide, electricity outages, expensive fuel and water shortage are so severe that fragmentation of land would bring a steep decline in agricultural output.

It is critical to mention here that it is by and large the agriculture sector which makes Pakistan relatively stable in terms of inflation and food security irrespective of the global trends.

Furthermore, I also want to highlight this widely acknowledged fact that politics in India still remains as dirty as it has always been.

Therefore, the rhetoric of changing politics by means of land reforms remains a myth. Moreover, there is no coherent theory or standard protocol of land reforms in the world. The world has witnessed nepotism and inequalities during the redistribution of land to the landless.

I further want to focus the point that the US, the breadbasket of the world and the country with the world’s largest agricultural output, did not reach this position through land reforms.

The reason behind its productivity is highly mechanised farming. It uses only 10 per cent of its human resource in agriculture compared to 47 per cent in Pakistan.

If we really intend to change the lives of our rural population, which reflects itself in Pakistan’s politics, we need to mechanise our agriculture and shift this potential rural human resource to other sectors like manufacturing and industry.

This would definitely bring a decline in the feudal influence in Pakistan’s politics, without compromising the growth of agricultural sector.

DR ASADULLAH NASIR Hyderabad

Opinion

The Dar story continues

The Dar story continues

One wonders what the rationale was for the foreign minister — a highly demanding, full-time job — being assigned various other political responsibilities.

Editorial

Wheat protests
Updated 01 May, 2024

Wheat protests

The government should withdraw from the wheat trade gradually, replacing the existing market support mechanism with an effective new one over the next several years.
Polio drive
01 May, 2024

Polio drive

THE year’s fourth polio drive has kicked off across Pakistan, with the aim to immunise more than 24m children ...
Workers’ struggle
Updated 01 May, 2024

Workers’ struggle

Yet the struggle to secure a living wage — and decent working conditions — for the toiling masses must continue.
All this talk
Updated 30 Apr, 2024

All this talk

The other parties are equally legitimate stakeholders in the country’s political future, and it must give them due consideration.
Monetary policy
30 Apr, 2024

Monetary policy

ALIGNING its decision with the trend in developed economies, the State Bank has acted wisely by holding its key...
Meaningless appointment
30 Apr, 2024

Meaningless appointment

THE PML-N’s policy of ‘family first’ has once again triggered criticism. The party’s latest move in this...