Pakistan may miss Rabi planting season

FOA displays concerns regarding seeds not being provided immediately to farmers for the sowing.

ISLAMABAD: Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) displayed concerns regarding seeds not being provided immediately to farmers for the sowing of major food staple crops. Pakistan may miss the crop production target for next year, if this situation is not remedied, FAO said in a briefing, underlining the hardships being faced by the affected farmers.

The organisation feared that time-critical challenges, such as the Rabi planting season, needs to be focused on as it provides wheat seeds, vegetable seeds and fertilisers. The agency said that if the needs are not met on time then the next harvest for wheat, which is the major staple food crop, cannot be expected till spring 2012.

Wheat support price was proposed to be increased to Rs1,000 per 40 kilogrammes, an increase of Rs50 over last year.  However, in the absence of inputs for cultivation, this may not be enough to incentivise farmers.

Agriculture provides means of livelihood to 80 per cent of the flood survivors, however, the revival and rehabilitation of land and irrigation infrastructure seems bleak due to lack of funds.

Currently, FAO has received $45.5 million in donor contributions within the framework of the Revised Pakistan Floods Emergency Response Plan, out of total funding requirements of $107 million. Agriculture Cluster coordination support, which must be intensified and expanded to ensure an effective response to the needs and problems of the sector, remains completely unfunded.

FAO is reaching approximately 532,770 families with agricultural inputs for the Rabi wheat planting season, 163,410 families with animal feed and veterinary supplies and 19,000 families with irrigation support.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2010.