Transforming agricultural lands

The luscious fields of Punjab used for harvesting essential food items and housing trees that bear tropical and sub-tropical fruit are being transformed into concrete jungles. Thousands of acres of agricultural lands no longer exist. In its place, residential schemes and industries stand tall and wide. Punjab, referred to as the ‘food basket of Pakistan’, has lost 20 to 30% of its fertile land while 70% of farmlands in Lahore alone have been replaced by housing societies and industrial units without proper planning.

The agriculture sector contributes around 18.5% to our GDP and employs 39% of our workforce. And despite being one of the top producers in the world of food items such as wheat, sugar cane, mangoes, dates and rice, local demands are not being met – something that has raised the import bill to a staggering $8 billion. A severe food crisis looms as the country’s agricultural capacity withers away. Despite this, food is being produced in a surplus but the poorest and most vulnerable are not able to afford a nutritious diet due to high exports and surging prices.

According to the World Food Programme estimates, approximately 43% of Pakistanis are food insecure and 18% are facing acute food insecurity. High levels of poverty, coupled with a surge in food prices and rising inflation, have led to severe malnutrition and stunted growth in the country. The situation is particularly awful in rural areas where livelihoods depend solely on agriculture and grazing. In the light of this alarming situation, it’s good to note that at least somebody – the Tehrik-i-Istaqlal party – has raised their voice. Members of the party have urged the Punjab government to ban the commercial use of agricultural lands and suggested implementing a farming policy to avert the food and water crisis.

Real estate and the tussle for land has become a terrible but lucrative business, especially over the past two decades, mainly because of vociferous support from powerful politicians and land mafias who adopt illegal means of acquiring land and initiating projects. The climate crisis threatens to lay all this bare – land will soon become barren and livestock will start dying. The consequences will be catastrophic. The only way forward is to protect agricultural land adopt the agri-tech method to improve sustainability and development.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2022.

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