Rs7.5b agri budget neglects research, seed development

With the demands of farmers concerning seed development and research remaining unheard, the Sindh government has proposed expenditure of over Rs7.535 billion on agriculture, in addition to another sum of Rs3.5 billion under the head of foreign project assistance (FPA), in fiscal 2025-26.

More than Rs3.3 billion have been earmarked for water courses related projects as less than eight per cent of the provincial budget is going to be spent on research and below one per cent on the seed development.

The farmers' training will also see a minuscule funding of Rs87 million as challenges ranging from efficient water use to climate resistant farming lay ahead. The Sindh Agriculture, Supply and Prices Department is distributing its development budget in its nine sub-sectors.

The wing responsible for overseeing the supply of commodities, regulating prices, checking weights and taking measurements will also get a paltry amount of Rs69.28 million to procure mobile testing unit for inspection. "With water being scarce and Pakistan being one of the least efficient users of water in agriculture, there is no attention to correcting that or investing in high efficiency systems like drip," commented Syed Mahmood Nawaz Shah, the acting President of Sindh Abadgar Board.

He also pointed out that the availability of certified seed in the market is around 45 per cent but the provincial government remains indifferent to the situation. "Again, there is no way forward or a strategy." The Rs150 million seed development programme will get only a small sum of Rs50 million in the upcoming financial year. The programme is also supposed to conduct capacity development of the agriculturists. The Rs7.535 billion outlay consists of allocations of Rs six billion for 35 ongoing schemes and Rs1.5 billion for eight new and unapproved projects.

Research

The government plans to spend Rs89.7 million on bio saline agriculture research and development phase-II; Rs100 million on upgrade of horticulture research centre in Mirpurkhas; Rs125 million on rice research in Larkana; and Rs62.5 million on varietal development of wheat through speed breeding. The two unapproved schemes include bio saline, rehabilitation and resilient initiative and climate resilient crops seed research with the allocations of Rs50 million and Rs25 million, respectively.

Meanwhile, after the water management projects, the agriculture mechanisation sector receives the largest funds from the provincial government with Rs2.166 billion being pledged for the next fiscal. Eight ongoing and one new schemes of the Agriculture Extension wing will receive Rs1.042 billion from the Sindh government besides a hefty injection of Rs3.5 billion under the FPA.

The sector's Sindh Water and Agriculture Transformation (SWAT) project, whose total cost surpasses Rs142.28 billion, funded primarily from the credit received from the World Bank with the Sindh government's contribution of only Rs23 billion, will get Rs200 million in 2025-26. Likewise, the Rs3.4 billion project to transform the Indus basin with climate resilient agriculture and water management will be provided Rs316 million by the government in the upcoming financial year.

The government plans to spend Rs198.5 million to establish a new fruit and vegetable market in Mehar taluka of Dadu district but the project is still categorised as unapproved. The supply of laser levelling equipment on rental basis to farmers will be apportioned Rs220.7 million with the project's total outlay being at Rs300 million. The government is also assisting the date farmers to set up date processing, packaging and pasting plant at the cost of Rs628 million. Rs254 million, or half of the sanctioned funds, will be released next year.