Road to progress: ‘For a prosperous Pakistan, land reforms inevitable’
Political leaders urge unity among parties for country’s uplift.
ISLAMABAD:
Effective land reforms are inevitable for sustainable food security, increased farm productivity, poverty alleviation and socio-economic uplift of the country.
This was the consensus among political leaders and economic experts who had gathered for a seminar on land reforms on Thursday.
Perhaps the strongest stance in favour of reforms was taken by Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Farooq Sattar, who actively led the discussion and urged the civil society members to play their role in pushing for land reforms.
“It is high time for all political parties to clearly express their commitment and incorporate equitable, effective land and agrarian reforms in their election manifestos,” he said. “After terrorism, the biggest threat to the country is economic nose-dive.”
The minister blamed the status quo and ad hocism for the exclusion of underprivileged people in the policymaking process. “Around Rs100 million can be added to the national kitty taxing the bigwigs of wheat, sugarcane, rice and tobacco. If a common man can come under the tax net, why not the big fishes?” he questioned. Adviser to Punjab Governor Abdullah Malik said the feudal chiefs count for 2% of the population, but rule the entire country as per their will and convenience.
Describing the agriculture sector as the backbone of the industrial sector, he said land reforms are a must for the industrial sector’s uplift.
He observed that the absence of land reforms is directly related to surging rural poverty, malnutrition, burgeoning unemployment, unsustainable use of agrarian land, increasing water logging and salinity of farmlands.Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Shahid Zia lamented that the policymakers are the beneficiaries of their own policies and safeguard their own rights by marginalising poor peasants and farmers.
“The subsidies are never targeted and focused and only the agricultural giants benefit from them,” he remarked. “Even the research conducted by universities is expensive and cannot be utilised by small farmers,” Zia added.
Senator Taj Haider of the PPP stressed on unity among political parties for effective land reforms. “We should be vocal enough to identify the problems. We are about to establish cooperatives in rural areas so we can facilitate farmers by giving them credit and scientific knowledge,” he said.
He said farmers in rural areas are being given free seeds and fertilisers through the Benazir Income Support Programme and Watan Cards. Besides, he said 18 acres of land gets eroded in Sindh everyday, while 38% of Punjab and 63% of Sindh’s land has been affected by water logging.
The seminar was organised by Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment in collaboration with Oxfam International, Land Watch Asia, International Land Coalition and National Peasants Coalition of Pakistan-Pakistan Kisan Sangat.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 9th, 2012.
Effective land reforms are inevitable for sustainable food security, increased farm productivity, poverty alleviation and socio-economic uplift of the country.
This was the consensus among political leaders and economic experts who had gathered for a seminar on land reforms on Thursday.
Perhaps the strongest stance in favour of reforms was taken by Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Farooq Sattar, who actively led the discussion and urged the civil society members to play their role in pushing for land reforms.
“It is high time for all political parties to clearly express their commitment and incorporate equitable, effective land and agrarian reforms in their election manifestos,” he said. “After terrorism, the biggest threat to the country is economic nose-dive.”
The minister blamed the status quo and ad hocism for the exclusion of underprivileged people in the policymaking process. “Around Rs100 million can be added to the national kitty taxing the bigwigs of wheat, sugarcane, rice and tobacco. If a common man can come under the tax net, why not the big fishes?” he questioned. Adviser to Punjab Governor Abdullah Malik said the feudal chiefs count for 2% of the population, but rule the entire country as per their will and convenience.
Describing the agriculture sector as the backbone of the industrial sector, he said land reforms are a must for the industrial sector’s uplift.
He observed that the absence of land reforms is directly related to surging rural poverty, malnutrition, burgeoning unemployment, unsustainable use of agrarian land, increasing water logging and salinity of farmlands.Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Shahid Zia lamented that the policymakers are the beneficiaries of their own policies and safeguard their own rights by marginalising poor peasants and farmers.
“The subsidies are never targeted and focused and only the agricultural giants benefit from them,” he remarked. “Even the research conducted by universities is expensive and cannot be utilised by small farmers,” Zia added.
Senator Taj Haider of the PPP stressed on unity among political parties for effective land reforms. “We should be vocal enough to identify the problems. We are about to establish cooperatives in rural areas so we can facilitate farmers by giving them credit and scientific knowledge,” he said.
He said farmers in rural areas are being given free seeds and fertilisers through the Benazir Income Support Programme and Watan Cards. Besides, he said 18 acres of land gets eroded in Sindh everyday, while 38% of Punjab and 63% of Sindh’s land has been affected by water logging.
The seminar was organised by Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment in collaboration with Oxfam International, Land Watch Asia, International Land Coalition and National Peasants Coalition of Pakistan-Pakistan Kisan Sangat.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 9th, 2012.