PAKISTAN’S agricultural sector has shown remarkable resilience and growth in the face of various challenges. The farmers have proven their mettle by producing record volumes of cotton, rice and wheat, which are the mainstay of the national economy in addition to being the main source of food security.
Cotton is an important income source for millions of farmers, and is also a key raw material for the textile sector, which makes more than half of national exports. A good cotton crop has increased production from 3.3 million to eight million bales, and it is expected that this crop will reach 12 million bales by the end of the season.
The textile industry has become stronger after 10 years, but we still need to grow more cotton to meet our own textile need of 15 million bales every year. We hope that next year we will produce more cotton than we use.
Another good news is that this year, traders and farmers have earned a lot of profit by exporting rice. The rice crop that will be harvested soon is also expected to be a bumper crop, and experts believe that rice will earn $3 billion in exports this year, whereas the export has generally remained less than $2 billion. Rice is not only a staple food for our people, but also a valuable commodity in the international market. We should continue to diversify and improve our rice varieties and quality to maintain our competitive edge.
Pakistan had a bumper crop of 27.5 million tonnes of wheat in the 2022-23 crop year, which, again, is a good news. This year, the prices of fertiliser, petrol, diesel and electricity have increased, which means the farmers will face a higher cost of production. But there will be a significant increase in the area and yield of wheat, and Pakistan will achieve va record production of 29 million tonnes, it is expected.
Moreover, the leftover wheat that is with the provinces and Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) will be enough to meet the country’s consumption needs. As such, Pakistan will not have to import wheat in 2023-24. Wheat is the most important crop in terms of food security and self-reliance. We should ensure that the farmers get a fair price for their produce and are protected from any kind of market manipulation or hoarding and smuggling.
The government should also announce the wheat support price without any delay, and encourage farmers to grow more wheat. This will be an effective way to save dollars and ensure food security.
Azeem Hakro
Umerkot
Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2023
