The journey from being an agricultural province to a massive gated housing societies complex is on the fast track in Punjab, which has made life miserable for pastoral farmers, who are finding it increasingly hard to get fresh fodder for their livestock.
Even though livestock contributes about 14 per cent to the national gross domestic product (GDP), its importance is diminishing - evidenced by the routine problems that pastoral farmers are now running into and the rapidly diminishing rate of return on their investment in livestock.
One such pastoral farmer is Malik Shabbir, a resident of the Jallo Mor area of Lahore, who has been in the business for the past couple of decades. “Ever since housing societies have started popping up left, right, and centre, agricultural areas have disappeared. Consequently, fresh fodder is becoming a luxury for my animals,” lamented Shabbir, adding that he now has to rely on expensive fodder from nearby areas. “At this rate, pastoral farming will soon become unprofitable. I already feel like I keep on investing in the cattle but get nothing in return.”
While Shabbir is still in the livestock farming business regardless of the troubles he has to put up with, Fayaz Hussain, a resident of the Manawan area of Lahore, had to fold up his business recently because a private housing society acquired his land. “I was the proud owner of 6 buffaloes, 3 cows, some sheep and calves, and a horse. However, our area was included in a private housing society and their administration banned keeping livestock in residential areas,” he narrated. Hussain, who has been in the pastoral farming business his entire life, further said that the never ending housing societies had made agriculture and livestock farming impossible.
Director General of the Punjab Agriculture Department (Extension & AR), Dr Anjum Ali, concurring with Hussain, said that the rampant growth of housing schemes, apart from causing fodder shortages, has put various crops on the verge of a shortage as well. “The threat that housing schemes pose to Pakistan’s agriculture will only increase in the next few years,” Dr Ali regretted.
However, local farmer Mubashir Hassan, feels that housing societies have already done the damage. “Cultivating one acre of land for fodder costs Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 and the income is a measly Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000. Therefore, people find it more profitable to sell their land to societies.”
Another farmer, Aamer Hayat Bhandara, was of the view that the trend of selling land to societies would not only be catastrophic to livestock farmers but also to the economy. “Eventually we will start seeing a shortage of milk and meat in the country. Moreover, there will be an increase in unemployment. Livestock plays an important role in the country’s economy, the government should really look into adopting a strategy to save pastoral farming and agriculture from gated housing societies,” suggested Bhandara while talking to The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2023.
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