Call for tech embrace to boost farm productivity

Farmer's Day discussion stresses mechanism for support prices

LAHORE:

Experts have emphasised the use of modern technology and skills to increase agricultural productivity in the country.

Speaking on the Farmer's Day in a broadcast with Express News anchorperson Syed Muzammil Shah, they also highlighted that balanced use of fertilizers can significantly enhance crop yields.

The agricultural experts called for a systematic framework involving the government, farmers and other stakeholders to determine support prices for crops.

Syed Muzammil Shah said that in 2019, on the suggestion of Fatima Fertilizer, the federal government had decided to designate December 18 for farmers.

Fatima Fertilizer Marketing and Sales Director Rabail Sadozai said that till the previous year, the agriculture sector's contribution in the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 24 per cent, which depicted that Rs25 trillion annually was being received from it.

Apart from this, 38% of the rural population gets employment from this sector. She went on to say that 65% of the total exports were from agriculture and related products. "When we look at these statistics, it is clear how much significance this sector has in the country's economy, but when we look at the other side, whether these things are discussed, whether they are given importance, then we see a little gap here," she added.

Naseerullah Khan, the Technical Service Manager of Fatima Fertilizer, said the purpose of celebrating the day was to acknowledge the efforts and contribution of farmers to the country's economy and food security. He added that the 8.2 million farmers take care of their crops and livestock so that they can secure their investment and ensure food security.

Rabail Sadozai said water scarcity was a big issue at this point of time but no policy was being implemented in this regard yet. Regarding climate change, she said there had been more rainfall, the intensity of heat and cold had increased, which affected crops, but no research had been done in this regard apart from much needed research on seeds either.

She said the determination of commodity prices affected farmers a lot but an organised structure in this regard was lacking. She stressed that the government, farmers and other stakeholders needed to sit together and decide on a method in this regard.

Answering a question, she said 50% of workers in rural agricultural areas were women, with approximately 22 million women engaged in the sector. Many of them independently manage their farms. Integrating these women into broader agricultural networks is crucial for their personal development and for Pakistan's overall prosperity and progress, she added.

Addressing a question on the significance of technology in agriculture, Naseerullah Khan stated that technology is now integral to every sector. He said agriculture's contribution to the GDP could easily be increased by 30 to 40%.