Supreme Court hearing: Jamaat-e-Islami proposes measures to check food prices

Advises government to increase funding for the agriculture sector

ISLAMABAD:

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Tuesday shared with the Supreme Court a set of proposals that it has drawn up to bring down spiralling food prices in the country.

The court was hearing a case filed by JI secretary general Liaquat Baloch regarding the recent hike in flour prices and other commodities.

In its proposal, the party suggested that federal and provincial governments should increase funding for the agriculture sector to control the prices of flour and other food items.

The party stressed that the authorities should ensure provision of water to agricultural land in the provinces. It also proposed the creation of alternative irrigation systems in areas suffering from water scarcity.

In the plethora of suggestions, JI also prescribed administrative measures to control rampant inflation and smuggling that has plagued the agriculture sector.

The JI suggested that the government should fix prices after consultation with farmers, keeping in view the cost of production of each crop.

Highlighting the lacunas in the process, the party said that without a targeted approach, the prices of food items cannot be controlled.

“Owing to old methods of cultivation and harvesting, Pakistan has low yield per acre that means the average crop in Pakistan is just 1/4th of that advanced states. Modern techniques should be used to achieve maximum productivity and profits at per acre level, by applying modern techniques,” the party said in its recommendations.

It is also suggested that districts that are producing higher volumes of crops should be given special incentives by the government.

“Government should provide adequate infrastructure like roads, storage facilities, transport, electricity, education, sanitation and health facilities to meet the requirement of growth of agriculture,” the party added.

Underlining the financial challenges faced by farmers, the party advised the government to withdraw the imposition of Gas infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) which would increase fertilizer prices by Rs400 to Rs450 per bag.

The JI proposed that supply of modern inputs like high yielding variety seeds and chemical fertilisers should be provided to farmers at subsidised rates.

The party also advised the government to allocate land for poor farmers, adding that a new agriculture police force should also be created.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2014.