ZAHEER ABBASI
ISLAMABAD: The government has announced over Rs 309 billion Prime Minister’s National Agriculture Emer-gency Programme for the development of agriculture sector, saying that previous governments are responsible for dismal state of agriculture sector due to steep decline in spending in post-devolution period.
Addressing a news conference on Tuesday, Minister for Minister for Food Security Mehboob Sultan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen and provincial agriculture ministers, except of Sindh, stated that Prime Minister’s programme will increase agriculture spending significantly over the next five year to turn around the sector.
Tareen acknowledged that the government must have taken prior action to prevent increase in prices of commodities.
Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan and the provincial agriculture ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa praised Tareen’s role in formulating the programme.
Tareen stated that projects would be approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) in the current month to pave way for their implementation.
According to the presentation distributed among the journalists and broad initiatives of the programme explained during the briefing, over the next five years, share of the federal government is Rs 85 billion, provincial governments would contribute Rs 175 billion and share of farmers would be Rs 50 billion.
Tareen said that given the same water and area, Pakistan has potential to drastically increase aggregate production of major crops; however, the yield gap per acre between progressive and ordinary farmer is double due to lack of capital for mechanisation knowledge of modern techniques, timely formal credit and assured marketability at harvest time.
He said that Rs 44.8 billion would be spent, with the federal government’s share of Rs 8.8 billion, to increase yields of major crops and boost adoption of oilseeds. The first project is related to boost the wheat productivity with the spending of Rs 19.3 billion including federal share of Rs 2.47 billion. The project has been designed to help increase average yield from 33 to 40 maunds per acre to produce excess wheat to export without compromising on food security. The government will free up 1.5 to 2 million acres of land for more productive crops, he said.
The sugarcane project will cost Rs 3.9 billion including federal share of Rs 0.7 billion and aims at increasing yield by 150 maunds per acre from 650 maunds to 800 maunds. The objective is to increase productivity to export sugar without subsidy.
Tareen avoided a question when asked in what capacity he was addressing the press conference following the Supreme Court’s decision against him. Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan stated that he had requested Tareen to come and address the press conference. He said that the government also wants to reduce the role of middle man by establishing four new markets to ensure that farmers get maximum prices of their crops.
Tareen said that command areas of Gomal Zam Dam and Kacchi Canal Project would be improved and in the second phase more than two hundred thousands of acres of land would be brought under cultivation.
Replying to a question, he said that actual issue of support price was its enforcement and the present government had ensured full price of sugarcane and wheat support price to the farmers. Tareen also urged Sindh government to join the Prime Minister’s National Agriculture Emergency Programme for the sake of the country and agricultural sector.
The federal government has allocated around Rs 18 billion for the development of agriculture in Sindh.
