Conference: ‘Prosperity not trickling down to farmers’

Minister says provincial governments should do more for farmers

MULTAN: Minister for Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Bosan said on Monday that the provincial governments should invest more into the uplift of agriculture and improving living standards of small farmers.

Addressing a roundtable conference at Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Bosan said that the federal government had been allocating billions of rupees for agriculture in the budget.

“However, following the 18th constitutional amendment, the resources are given to provinces to manage. Provincial governments are thus better placed for to work for revival of agriculture,” he said.

He said agriculture was the backbone of the economy and livelihood of 45 per cent of the population depended on it.

He said 67 per cent of the population was also indirectly linked to agriculture.



The conference, titled Phyto-Sanitary Challenges in Mango Export to EU, was organised by the Environment Protection Department in collaboration with USAID’s Enabling Environment Project.

Bosan said Pakistan’s mangoes were the best in the world. He said the government was taking steps to ensure penetration of Pakistani mangoes in new markets.  Bosan said the government had reduced mango-related complaints from 236 to only two in a year.

He said there had been no hot water treatment facility last year. “This year 29 such facilities will open for post harvest treatment,” he said.

He said kinnow export had crossed 350,000 tonne mark this year.

He said it was 225,000 tons last year.

He said this year’s tomato production stood at 3.8 million tonnes. Out of this 300,000 tonnes was exported from the Punjab.

“Despite these successes, the benefits seemed to not yet have reached farmers,” he said.

The minister provincial governments should focus on facilitating the majority of farmers, instead of a small group of landed gentry.

Bosan appreciated Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s Fruit Fly Project.

Responding to a Bosan said several international airlines would start flights from Multan International Airport in August.

Mango growers’ bodies leaders Syed Zahid Gardezi and Major (r) Muhammad Tariq also spoke.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2015.