“This has resulted in seasonal fluctuations in the prices of food items,” Jawad said. PHOTO: APP
The request was put forward during a meeting held at the FPCCI office in Peshawar on Tuesday. A large number of farmers attended the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, FPCCI Standing Committee Chairperson Ahmad Jawad said small landholdings have adversely impacted crop yields and productivity.
“Small-scale farmers do not have access to sufficient resources to participate in high value-added markets,” he said. “There is a large market for traditional crops. However, fluctuating prices don’t always work to the benefit of small-scale farmers.”
According to Jawad, the production process in K-P is “supply-driven instead of demand-oriented”.
“Farmers with small holdings are unable to [gain] direct access to markets,” he said.
The chairperson said small-scale farmers have to travel at least 10 miles to reach the nearest market.
“This makes it difficult for growers to obtain accurate information about consumer prices,” Jawad added.
He said K-P also lacks an effective mechanism to store agriculture produce.
“This has resulted in seasonal fluctuations in the prices of food items,” Jawad said. He maintained only 1.8 million hectares out of 2.96 million hectares of cultivable land in K-P is being used to grow crops.
The remaining land could be used for farming with marginal investment, he said. “However, with the passage of time, both land use and cropping intensity have declined over time,”
he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2016.
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