Farmers turn to government for assistance

Farmers in Khushab district have voiced their concerns regarding high costs when cultivating the region’s famed vegetables, especially the high costs of buying seeds and fertiliser. While the crops are profitable, particularly tomatoes, the high cost of materials is eating into profits, causing issues for both farmers and landowners in the long term.

According to Malik Abdul Karim, a social figure of the area, Katha Saghral is located at a distance of 25km from Khushab and possesses 110,754 acres of arable agricultural land. The tomatoes of Katha Saghral area of Khushab district are renowned across the country for their exemplary taste, flavour and colour. Other crops including wheat, gram, millet and vegetables are also cultivated and while there are also orange orchards, tomatoes have made the area economically stable. Tomatoes from the region are supplied to the major markets in the country. Cultivation of the crop has led to an increase in demand for tomatoes from Katha Saghral while increasing the income of landowners.

Analyst and researcher Malik Gul Sultan said that the city of Daman Mahar was settled hundreds of years ago and tomato crops have been cultivated for just as long. Earlier crops were irrigated with spring water, a technique which is still alive today. As time has passed, tomatoes are being cultivated using modern farming techniques and equipment. Tube wells have been installed, further improving crop cultivation with the elimination of water shortage.

Local farmer, Raja Safdar Hussain, told The Express Tribune that this time the tomato crop has been very good. The biggest problem for the crop, Hussain added, is the availability of quality seeds.

There is no system of providing tomato seeds in the whole region, forcing farmers to buy expensive seeds from Lahore. According to a report published in 2020, Pakistan had not been able to produce adequate seeds for 15 years. Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) president Irfan Iqbal Sheikh shared the statistic while stressing the need for research and development into seed production, as well as the potential integration of hybrid seeds into agriculture.

While expensive water is used through tube wells, tomato crops do not require much water, saving money in that regard. However, they do require fertilizer, the cost of which has driven farmers to ask for government subsidies. From farmers to shopkeepers, thousands of people are linked to the tomato industry and depend on it for their livelihoods. Tomato production could increase further if government provided guidance to farmers as well as subsidising fertilizer. It could also prove beneficial to Pakistan’s economy if it were exported abroad, he said.

Mohammad Noman, a local, said that it is the good fortune of the area that they can cultivate tomatoes. He suggested that the government should send teams from agriculture department to guide famers on cultivating tomatoes, while providing clean and better yielding seeds and subsidise a special quota of fertilizer.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2022.