Agriculture sector in Sindh growing at a snail’s pace

KARACHI: The agriculture sector has not shown much growth in the last five years in Pakistan, particularly in Sindh, experts said.

Water shortage, low prices, and unavailability of an export mechanism remain major hurdles for the sector.

Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) Secretary General Mehmood Nawaz Shah said, “Agriculture sector witnessed the lowest growth in 2015-16.”

After the 18th amendment, agriculture has become a provincial subject, but the provincial government in Sindh lacked the capacity to keep up with the sector. Pakistan Peoples’ Party, which has remained in power for the past 10 years in Sindh, announced an agriculture policy which was made without the consultation of stakeholders, and hence lacked vision, Shah lamented.

He said agriculture growth rate that was higher than five percent in 2005-6, was currently at a lower level, which shows the sector was going in a negative direction compared to the previous decade.

Commodity rates have also remained low for five years. Sugarcane growers have been protesting for fair rates for the last three years, this is a new phenomenon as they never came on streets before that. “Around 6-7 cases are pending in courts related to commodity prices,” Mehmood Nawaz Shah said.

The SAB Secretary General said, “Sindh is rich in horticulture. But, we don’t have any strategy to export the surplus commodities.” He said the agriculture sector was not included in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), despite SAB’s suggestion to the government to assess the China market on many forums. “The CPEC route countries imported $180 billion food commodities in 2016-17,” he pointed out. Vietnam exported 80 percent of its horticulture to China, which recently fetched $3.0 billion for the country. Why can Pakistan not do the same, “he asked. “We grow 13 million tons vegetables and food, of which 30 percent is wasted, and our exports fetch 5-7 percent lower rates in the world. We can export fresh fruits and processed foods to China too,” he added.

‘The grower community has urged the government to seek Chinese work via local investors to develop the packaging industry in agriculture, which is a low cost industry but can help in packaging export commodities. Nothing has been done in horticulture in the last 10 years as well,” the SAB secretary general said. Talking of water shortage, Shah said it was the first time in the history of the Indus River System Authority that 30 percent shortage has been announced in Kharif.

“We are utilising 95 percent of water in agriculture. World over, it is not more than 75 percent.”

He urged to reduce waste and suggested to stop using flood irrigation and to switch to drip and sprinkler. “World Bank is supporting this in Pakistan but the subsidy is not transparent,” Shah added.

Ismail Kumbhar, a professor at Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, said agriculture was the backbone of the economy of the country and the province. “However, after 18th amendment it has neither been a priority of the federal government nor the provincial government,” he said. Climate change was also affecting agriculture, as either droughts or floods were impacting the sector, especially small farmers. “Sindh does not receive proper water for the crops. Thus, production is affected, and farmers also do not get fair prices,” the professor said. Water scarcity has adversely impacted Kharif crops this year. “Chillies and banana crops are in poor shape. The people are not even getting enough water for drinking,” he added.

“Labour force in agriculture has decreased to 42 percent from 44 percent in recent years, which shows the sector is neglected,” the professor said.