It wouldn’t be a far-fetched thing to say the economy of Pakistan is being carried on its shoulders by agriculture. 18.9% of the total GDP of the country is contributed through agriculture. Furthermore, 42.3% of the total labor force is working in the agriculture sector.
Among the crops grown in Pakistan, wheat, rice, and cotton play a significant and positive role in the country’s GDP. Despite the importance of agriculture to the economy of Pakistan, the sector faces problems in keeping itself stable. Recent events, however, may bring positive changes.
The Ownership Imbalance
Most of the agricultural lands in Pakistan are owned by a very small part of the population. A large portion of the farmers cannot afford land of their own, so they have to work either as wage earners, sharecroppers, or seasonal workers. These farmers contribute to 1/3rd of the agriculture labor force of the country. These tenant farmers have to pay almost 50% of the land’s produce to the landowner. Due to this ownership disparity, an equally huge income imbalance is created, negatively impacting the nation’s economy. Additionally, according to studies, larger farms are less productive than smaller farms in a single hectare or unit of water.
Unpaid Female Labor-force
About 67% of the rural population of women work in the agriculture field. Most of these women remain unpaid. A report by Victoria University suggests that due to a high concentration of family farms in the country, a significant efficiency can be achieved in the agriculture sector of Pakistan with the inclusion of the full labor force of the family, including the women. Despite this fact, 60% of the 67% of the women labor in the agriculture sector have to work without any compensation. According to research, a lack of paid labor in agriculture or the form of domestic labor by women can slow down the income growth of a family.
Outdated Methods
Even though the agriculture sector of Pakistan contributes a huge chunk of the GDP of the nation, the sector seems to be highly ignored. For the advancement of the sector, Pakistan has only spent 0.11%-0.63% of the total GDP on the research and development of the agriculture sector.
Moreover, with an average crop yield of 2 metric tonnes per hectare, Pakistan falls significantly behind the global average of 4 metric tonnes per hectare. A number of factors contribute to this, including pesticides of yore which negatively affect the soil, water, and air quality. This situation is worsened by the lack of availability of post-harvesting infrastructure. Without modern storage facilities, farmers have to sell their products at a lower price or risk losing the yield. Despite relying on agriculture, Pakistan has been a net food importing country since 2013.
Furthermore, the old-age farming techniques make the farming practices more intensive, resulting in future water shortages. Water is the most important component in the agriculture sector and is directly linked to food security.
Despite all the problems faced in the agriculture sector, there are some suggestions and implementations by the government to overcome them. Recently, the higher-ups in the government seem to have started taking measures toward the betterment of Agri-tech.
Precision Agriculture
Precision Agriculture, known as satellite agriculture, is the process of using information technology to fulfill the exact needs of soil for the betterment of the agriculture sector. According to the Chairman Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), Dr. Syed Hussain Abidi, it can help the country achieve higher and better yields. On top of that, it can make the country’s water use more efficient.
The President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, recently suggested that the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) and other scientists use space technology to better agriculture. The President said that Suparco had been tasked with improving the calibration of irrigation systems in the country via AI and Geographic Information System.
Collaboration with China
Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China, has announced to collaborate with the Islamia University of Bahawalpur to better the agriculture sector in Pakistan. It is a positive step as the climate and environment of the Chinese province is quite similar to Pakistan. The Vice President of Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fan Tinglu, said, “Many technologies from Gansu have been introduced to Pakistan and achieved promising results.” Before this collaboration, Islamia University of Bahawalpur had already started relations with Sichuan Agricultural University.
In these highlights of China-Pakistan agriculture development collaboration, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on CPEC Affairs Khalid Mansoor also mentioned China hinting at building Agriculture, Science and Technology Transferring Center in Pakistan. He said, “Initially, the center will be established on a government-to-government aid basis with an estimated amount of $50 million.” He added, “Chinese companies, with research and expertise in agriculture, are coming to the country to enter into joint ventures (JVs) with Pakistani farmers.”
Water Harvesting
About 3/4th of the rainwater in Pakistan is received during the country’s three months of monsoon season. In these conditions, a lack of water harvesting bodies can cause floods, ruin agricultural land, and waste a large amount of water that Pakistan receives during a year.
In light of that, the Directorate of Soil Conservation has set up around 3000 water harvesting bodies in the province of Punjab. These bodies have been developed majorly in the Barani areas of the province and can store up to 0.1-million-acre-feet.
Sindh Agriculture Growth Project
Sindh Agriculture Growth Project started in 2016 and ended in May 2021. It was funded by World Bank’s International Development Association and focused on helping rural Sindh’s agriculture and livestock sector. During the five years of the project, the milk production of the province increased by 28.4%. Moreover, the establishment of livestock management training departments has been beneficial to more than 5500 farmers. A project beneficiary said, “Since SAGP arrived and trained us, the health of cattle and milk production quantity improved. When our incomes increased, our living standards also improved.”
Despite all of the mishandling of the agricultural sector, SECP is also playing a significant role in improving the regulatory environment. It has made it easier for people to establish startups and made financial access easier. Furthermore, SECP has encouraged start-ups to pitch in their ideas for live testing in a controlled environment. These changes will play a major role in tackling a significant number of issues faced by the agriculture sector.
