Even though Pakistan is an agrarian economy where agriculture contributes to about 20% of the GDP, its per hectare yield of major crops such as wheat, cotton and sugar cane is far below than the industrialised economies such as China, France and the US. In this respect, Pakistan fails to develop a competitive edge or get a comparative advantage in the neo-liberal world where international trade is the key artery.
To improve the agriculture sector and pump life into it, in order to provide for nearly 60% of the population, structural reforms are the need of the hour. Simply throwing money at the problems and providing subsidies would do no good unless these efforts are formulated with clear-cut policymaking that cater towards bringing serious reforms in the staggering agriculture sector. This means that the farmers should be provided with good quality seeds and fertilisers while the government plans to improve the water irrigation and conservation system. The construction of dams, reservoirs, tubewells and canals should be further developed in order to create a traditional irrigation system that benefits farmers.
As the beleaguered Daimer-Bhasha Dam becomes once again the talk of the town, the government, officials and the authorities concerned should not let the initiative defuse as quickly as it emerged once again. Even though the Kalabagh Dam topic remains the bone of contention between provinces, the government of the day should foster out-of-the-box solutions to uplift and strengthen the agricultural sector that is suffering terribly at the backdrop of the pandemic. Pakistan has the capability to create a world-class irrigation system through its unique traditional mechanisms. It is about time for the authorities to focus on honing the agricultural sector and rid it of the power dynamics that restricts its development.
Hadia Mukhtar
Karachi
