Authorities ‘heedless’ of higher food needs
PHOTO: AGENCIES
President Kisan Ittehad Khaled Khokhar has said that the population of the country increases by 5.5 million people a year but no one is paying any heed to the increasing food requirements of Pakistan and politicians are busy fighting for their personal interest.
He added that today agriculture in Pakistan is in dire straits and as an agrarian country we are importing vegetables, wheat and pulses by spending millions of dollars annually.
“I am very hurt that my mothers and sisters are giving their lives for 10kg of flour as people across the country are dying,” Khokhar said while addressing a press conference here at Peshawar Press Club.
“People are losing their lives for wheat flour worth Rs1,000,” he observed
According to a Unicef report, eight out of ten children do not have access to food, he said.
After becoming a nuclear power, despite international sanctions, the country was run by agriculture, Khokhar claimed, adding that colonies are being built on agricultural lands, but no legislation has been introduced to stop this practice.
In the whole world, there is no such cotton that is produced in Balochistan but no one is paying any attention to increase its production, he noted.
Due to ever-growing population and lack of steps for food production, Pakistan is facing a shortage of 300,000 metric tonnes of wheat and government should come forward and give land to small farmers to provide jobs and increase wheat production.
Till date, no government in Pakistan has given priority to agri sector as a fertilizer sack is sold at Rs3,500 while in India it is available for just Rs750 a bag.
Pakistan imports edible oil worth $6 billion each year but there is no efforts to achieve self-sufficiency.
“I have made requests to the chief of army staff to come forward for food security,” he added.
“I am tired of telling politicians about food shortage and making suggestions that land should be distributed among small farmers as the issue of food security in Pakistan has become serious, a food security emergency should be imposed,” he maintained.
The country needs food security more than border security, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2023.