Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Thursday that the agricultural sector was developing in modern lines to achieve self -sufficiency and directed the development of a comprehensive regulatory framework for the sector.
During the second quarter of fiscal year 2015, the agricultural sector experienced a significantly declined growth rate of 1.10pc compared to 5.80pc the previous year. The prime minister has previously declared the determination of his government to transform the sector into modern lines to achieve self -sufficiency, emphasizing his vast potential for rapid economic development.
By chairing a meeting on agricultural sector reforms today, the prime minister emphasized the government’s priority for the promotion of modern technology in the agricultural sector. He also ordered the relevant department to present a National Agricultural Innovation Plan for the agricultural sector.
The Prime Minister instructed the formulation of a coordinated strategy to develop the agricultural sector in consultation with the relevant provinces and parties. He instructed the interested authorities to formulate a long -term sustainable policy for agro -industrial development to promote agriculture and forestry and help counteract the effects of climate change.
Prime Minister Shehbaz directed the provision of agricultural loans to farmers in easy terms and emphasized an approach to agricultural research to improve production. He also asked to accelerate current reforms in the certification system for agricultural seeds and develop an effective action plan to promote high quality seeds.
Decline of the agricultural sector
The deceleration in the agricultural sector can be attributed mainly to negative growth in key crops such as cotton, rice and corn. Cotton ginning and several components showed growth in Fy24 due to excellent cotton production, but decreased in fiscal year 2015 due to poor cotton production.
The cotton production saw a substantial decrease of 30.7pc, with the production of this year recorded at 7,084 million bullets, compared to 10.22m bugs the previous year. Rice production decreased by 1.4pc, by a total of 9.72 million tons, below 9.86m tons of the previous year. Similarly, corn production decreased by 15.4pc, and production fell to 8.24m tons of 9.74m tons of the previous year.
The latest reviewed estimates indicate a 2.3 percent decrease in sugarcane production, for a total of 85.62 million tons, below 87.64m tons last year. The wheat area fell into 6.8pc from last year, despite having no impact on the first quarter. The potatoes saw an increase of 14.2pc, while other crops grew by 0.73pc.
During a high -level advisory meeting on the agricultural sector in April, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his government’s commitment to revitalize the country’s agricultural sector by promoting innovation, sustainable development and active participation of young experts and key interested parties to revive the agricultural economy.
Prime Minister Shehbaz asked to take advantage of the talent of young professionals and researchers while taking advantage of the wisdom of the experts experienced to guide the process. He expressed concern that cotton production had fallen so low that Pakistan had become an importer, while neighboring countries like India and China had progressed in crop yield.
Referring to the rural population of 65 percent of Pakistan, the prime minister emphasized the need to provide significant opportunities to rural young people, particularly in agricultural technology and entrepreneurship. He observed the absence of sponsorship for local manufacturers of farmers and service companies that support small farmers, urging that they become a systematic framework.
He directed the training of work committees in five critical sectors. The meeting highlighted the need to increase national and foreign investment in the agricultural sector, while strengthening the role of financial institutions and the facilitation of agricultural loans.
