PBF demands subsidy package for agri sector

Forum’s VP says farmers want minimum support price of wheat at Rs2,000 per maund

LAHORE:

Pakistan Businesses Forum (PBF) urged the government to announce a comprehensive package for uplifting the agriculture sector. “The farmers comprised 65 per cent of the country’s workforce,” stated PBF Vice President (VP) Ahmad Jawad.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, he said that farmers wanted fixing of the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat at Rs2,000 per maund. “They also wanted the MSP of sugarcane at Rs30.”

In addition to setting a flat electric power rate of Rs5 per unit for agri tube-wells, subsidies on seeds, fertilisers and other expenses should also be offered as the farmers had had a tough 12 months, which affected the food supply chain, especially fruit and vegetable growers, the business forum VP asserted.

Read more: Meeting considers lifting moribund farm sector

“While the coronavirus pandemic posed a unique challenge to the entire world, Pakistani farmers also had to simultaneously cope with their annual nemeses - climate change and water scarcity - as the drought further exposed the country's agricultural fault lines.” The VP said, “The food industry of the country faced the worst crises over the past two years.”

He elaborated that the performance of agriculture sector declined particularly after the 18th Amendment because of a lack of uniformity in policies, funding and expertise among the provinces.

He stressed that a pro-farmer enabling environment was imperative to make the agriculture sector globally competitive and, for the purpose, the sector needed to be given back to federal authorities.

The 18th Amendment, he said, made food and agriculture predominantly provincial subjects while food security and exports were in federal domain.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2021.