Seventy per cent of the population of Pakistan relies upon the agriculture sector
KARACHI: Pakistan’s is an agricultural economy. Seventy per cent of the population of Pakistan relies upon the agriculture sector to earn livelihood. Pakistan is good at producing best quality food crops that also make up for a significant amount of export receipts. Once a self-reliant country now has dozens of regions facing an acute food shortage. Less than adequate food supply is resulting in malnutrition, stunted growth and weak immune systems.
Factually, top quality agricultural produce is usually exported to European export markets as anything less than the demanded quality would rather lead to cancellation/suspension of exports to these countries. The local markets are then left with whatever is the ‘leftover’, which despite being of not the best quality is still beyond the purchasing power of the middle class.
The government here should work upon the crop distribution system which should ensure that equally suitable produce is supplied in the local markets as well.
Syed Uzzam Ali Shah
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2018.
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