Daily Times

The Fertilizer Manufacturers of Pakistan Advisory Council (FMPAC) has offered the federal government its assistance in developing a viable direct subsidy plan for farmers. FMPAC Executive Director Brig. Sher Shah has requested the government in a letter to Finance Minister Miftah Ismail to ensure that the desired advantages of subsidies are passed on to small farmers. He stated that a lack of a competent framework for subsidy distribution might have a significant impact on crops. According to Brig Shah, the use of phosphatic fertilisers has decreased significantly as a result of unprecedented high pricing and import challenges. The government’s failure to subsidise expensive fertilisers has also contributed to a decline in the balanced use of fertilisers. He revealed that the direct subsidy scheme cannot produce the desired results because any proposal to provide direct targeted subsidies to farmers in the absence of exact land records and accurate farmer profiles cannot be implemented in its true spirit. It is worth noting that the Punjab government, with the assistance of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), launched a voucher-based SMS-enabled direct subsidy mechanism in 2018 to provide targeted benefits to farmers. Rains and flooding cause Rs2b in losses for date farmers. Despite its best efforts, however, the administration has yet to pass on the advantage of this support to farmers.