Govt making plans to bring positive growth in agriculture sector

ISLAMABAD: The government would invest to get rid of negative growth in the agriculture sector that is also causing adverse trends in the natural capital of the country.

The climate change ministry presented its findings to the Prime Minister Secretariat that has directed it to make plans to introduce positive growth in the agriculture sector. The findings underlined the fact that inclusive wealth of Pakistan comprises three different categories of capital assets: natural capital, human capital and produced capital.

Assets in all three categories provide the inputs for production and are, therefore, referred to as the productive base of the economy. The United Nations in its recent report also urged Pakistan to cope with the issue of negative growth in the agriculture sector due to increasing urbanisation and other economic changes.

It also highlighted that a business-as-usual approach would not take to a world of living in harmony with nature. An official of the climate change ministry said “We have come to the conclusion that measuring the stock of wealth in a manner that includes natural capital is key to tracking sustainability and well-being of the country”. He said the green measures under the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan in the last few years have shown evidence of an environmental turnaround due to which forests, grasslands and vegetated areas are spreading with each passing year.

PM’s Special Assistant on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said natural capital is estimated according to subsoil non-renewable resources, forests and agricultural land. “Conceptually, natural capital also depends upon ecosystem services such as microclimates, biodiversity and cultural values. But it is necessary to bring positive growth in the agriculture sector to strengthen our natural capital,” he added.