Daily Times

KARACHI: Inappropriate and poor policy of the finance managers in the government was keeping the agriculture growth at a lower web, said agriculture experts.

“The Annual Budget 2016-17 was an eyewash in this regard. The multi-facet reasons would weaken the aggregate performance of the agriculture sector and prospects of achieving the growth target would remain gloomy,” said Sindh Agriculture Forum chief Shakeel Ahmad.

“An increasing risk of decline in aggregate value-addition by important major crops in 2016-17 would keep the sector below the normal.”

He said the agriculture sector would have to brave the winds of strong international price of most agriculture commodities and vulnerability to the mood of the nature.

“Crop production would face poor incentive structure for farmers besides the substantial wastage due to inadequate infrastructure. Major crops like cotton and sugar besides lintels are exposed to significant post harvest losses. If these concerns prove correct, then the value addition by major crops would be negative during next crop season despite struggle to get high sugarcane harvest,” he added.

However, it is hoped that wheat harvest would reach close to annual target, which is around 8.2 million tonnes, during the kharif season. Cotton production in 2011 was 10.6 million bales and by the end of June 2016, it stood at 7.9 million bales (33% decline). In contrast, production in India in 2011 stood at 29 million bales and in 2015 production stood at 28 million bales, a decline of only three percent.

Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal had said the government would give due attention to the agriculture sector and provide farmers the agri inputs in order to reduce their cost of production.

“The disappointing harvests of key cash crops are particularly troubling and domestic producers would not take advantage of the incentive offered by record international prices for many agriculture commodities, such as rice and wheat. Absence of the customary benchmark procurement price for wheat at sowing time along with rising prices of fertilisers and inputs besides reduction in cultivation area of several crops would hamper the agri economy,” a local farmer opined.

The short supply of water is likely to continue in the kharif season 2017. The carryover water balance for kharif from the ending Rabi season would be negligible, around 0.024 million-acre feet at Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma.

Water availability in barani areas is entirely dependent on rains. Therefore, yields of various crops are also based on the volume and timings of the rains in these areas.

Despite a rise in agriculture credit disbursement, lack of implementation and unprofessional use of the loan exposed the lofty claims of the government. Improper post harvest handling of agriculture produces results into quantity and quality losses in addition to rise in consumer prices.