Sindh Abadgar Board raises concern over decline in agricultural produce

HYDERABAD: The monthly meeting of the Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) was held to review the outgoing fiscal year's agricultural performance and discuss upcoming budget expectations.

The board noted that according to the government data, the production of all major crops declined last year, which was something that had not happened in decades. However, some minor crops and livestock showed slight increases.

The SAB questioned the government's reported 4 per cent increase in the livestock sector, calling it unrealistic. According to the SAB, this claimed growth equalled to a rise of over a billion dollars, yet there was no visible improvement on the ground, such as higher milk or meat production, better breeds or formal records to support the data.

The meeting said similar figures were repeatedly shown in recent years without any real change on ground. Participants also pointed out that the prices of all major and minor crops dropped last year, causing losses worth hundreds of billions of rupees. These losses drained money from the rural economy, they lamented, adding that despite this, no consultations had been held with farmers or stakeholders ahead of the upcoming budget to understand their challenges, including those related to climate change.

The SAB criticised the government’s selective deregulation policy and demanded that the government either fully implement free market policies, including free export and import of agricultural products, or rethink its current approach.

The board stressed that Pakistan’s agricultural sector could not compete internationally unless it received support similar to that in countries like India, where inputs were heavily subsidised. Need for improving rural infrastructure was also highlighted in the meeting. The SAB praised past government programmes like lining watercourses and providing laser land levellers and recommended restarting them.

The government was also urged to give subsidies for high-efficiency irrigation systems, noting that India had covered 22 per cent of its farmland with such systems, while Pakistan was still below 0.5 per cent.

The meeting also discussed the issue of electricity supply in rural areas saying that most areas received only 12 hours of power daily. It demanded 24-hour power supply to support rural industries.

The SAB asked for the removal of the 18 per cent GST from locally produced cotton. The growers also demanded the elimination of GST on all agricultural machinery and tractors, whether they were imported or locally made.

Finally, the SAB called for subsidised loans, grants and public-private partnerships to promote agro-based industries in rural areas. These steps, the growers said, would help generate employment and boost foreign exchange earnings.

The meeting was chaired by SAB Senior Vice President Mahmood Nawaz Shah and attended by Dr Zulfiqar Yousfani, Malook Nizamani, Mohammed Aslam Mari, Imran Bozdar, Sarmad Nizamani, Arbab Ahsan, Murad Ali Shah and others.