Pakistan Agriculture Developments

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Punjab to double allocation for agri sector in 2021-22


Recorder Report
04 Jun 2021

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to double the allocation of development budget for the agriculture alongside brining projects for improving the quality of seeds and agricultural services to boost the production.

Further, the tax rate on agricultural services is bringing down to 1 percent from 16 percent for the corporate sector in order to make the sector attractive for the investment by the corporate sector. Additionally, establishment of special zones to improve livestock breeding and eradication of foot-and-mouth disease is part of the Budget 2021-22.

This was disclosed by the Punjab Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakhat addressing a pre-budget seminar here at Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Regional office. He announced extending the scope of the scope of Kisan Card to provide subsidies and other benefits to farmers.

Opportunities are being created for the private sector by reducing the burden of public sector on banks, he added. Regional Chairman PFCCI Chaudhry Muhammad Saleem Bhular, MP Chaudhry Muhammad Shafiq, Mian Anjum Nisar, and representatives of trade bodies were also attended the meeting.

The minister said that the Punjab government fully support the federal government for uniformity in taxes in all the provinces. He asked the people doing agriculture must utilize the Punjab Employment Scheme for expansion of the agriculture sector. He said a committee was constituted to review the infrastructure cess and decision would be made in accordance with the recommendations made by it.

However, the tax incentives given by the Punjab government during the first wave of the covid-19 pandemic will continue in the next financial year as well. He believed that the if business-friendly policies will not continue than the economy will again trap in vicious circle. Hashim claimed that current economic growth was outcome of the business-friendly policies of the federal and provincial governments. The Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) tax collection has improved despite reduction in tax rate.

The relief given by Punjab government alongside exemptions of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will applicable in the next budget. Further reduction in stamp duties, improvement in regulatory framework, and increase in investment in services sector will also ensure economic growth, he added.

The provincial minister informed the participants that special attention was paid to the education and health sectors in the budget for the next financial year. The delivery of services at the district level is being improved.


Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

 

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Engro Corporation & Parwaaz collaborate to upskill farmers

The two partners will work together to create a skilling program that comprises of curriculum developed with subject matter experts to teach modern farming practices to learners and integrating them with digital systems.

By News Desk

2 June 2021






Engro Corporation has signed a Memorandum of Collaboration with the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) to develop a skilling program for the role of Crop Advisors, under Parwaaz’s Agriculture and Foods skills incubator.

The two partners will work together to create a skilling program that comprises of curriculum developed with subject matter experts to teach modern farming practices to learners and integrating them with digital systems.

The upskilled Crop Advisors will then be able to better guide farmers on the best farming processes and use of marketing techniques using digital technology to boost their crop yield and incomes.

Engro Corporation will mobilize learners for the program, develop the program’s curriculum by engaging subject matter experts and identify the training needs of farmers, potential employers, and crop advisors.
It will also support program graduates in securing employment and connect them to stakeholders in the market.
Parwaaz will finance the execution of the program, support Engro in mobilizing the learners and facilitate in creating job opportunities and market linkages for successful graduates of the program.


Message from Engro CEO

Speaking on the event signing ceremony, Ghias Khan – President & CEO of Engro Corporation and co-chair of Agriculture & Foods for Parwaaz, said that, “For over 50 years, Engro has played a pivotal role in ensuring the nation’s food security and changing its agricultural landscape with innovative products and solutions.

However, with a burgeoning population and the impact of climate change, our agriculture sector needs to achieve higher productivity to ensure food security for Pakistan.”

He added, “In this context, this new public-private partnership between Engro and PSDF is very timely to enable our hardworking farmers to be future-ready and equip them with modern farming techniques and digital solutions. By upskilling the farmers, we can boost their incomes and crop output in line with the government’s agricultural transformation vision.”


Message from CEO PSDF

According to Jawad Khan, CEO of PSDF, “The agriculture sector of Pakistan is one of the most critical areas where Parwaaz can make a profound impact and close the skills gap that impedes our economic progress.”

He further said, “In Engro, we have found a partner that has a longstanding reputation of pioneering farmer uplift and digitization initiatives in the industry. Together, we look forward to enabling our farmers to adopt best global practices and improve their livelihoods.”

Last year, Pakistan was featured in the ‘Future of Jobs’ Report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) for the first time. Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) serves as the secretariat for Parwaaz, which is the National Accelerator on closing the skills gap in Pakistan, set up in collaboration with World Economic Forum.

With the guidance of the most influential public and private sector leaders, it is developing reskilling, upskilling, and new skilling plans for the current and future workforce of Pakistan.

 

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Agriculture under the govt spotlight — I

Engr. Ainul Abedin
05 Jun 2021

Pakistan Agriculture Research Council had a great opportunity to correct its approach more than two decades back and learn how to economize use of water and yet get better results when Marhoom Sheikh Zayed Al-Nahyan (May Allah SWT bless him) had invited Pakistan Agriculture Research Council to send two ‘engineers” to Rahimyar Khan Palace (with full pay and free boarding/lodging to be arranged by him) to study and learn drip irrigation which produces better results in kinnow trees (and other similar applications) at only 10 percent water usage in comparison to the “normal” flood irrigation being presently used all over the country.


The “perfectionist” that Sheikh Zayed was, he had ordered a “mirror image” of existing kinnow plantation on one side of the long palace road with plantation on the other side, totally on our designed drip irrigation system.

 

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Barley and wheat cultivation—along with the domestication of cattle, primarily sheep and goat—was visible in Mehrgarh by 8000–6000 BCE. They cultivated six-row barley, einkorn and emmer wheat, jujubes and dates, and herded sheep, goats and cattle. Residents of the later period (5500 BC to 2600 BC) put much effort into crafts, including flint knapping, tanning, bead production, and metal working. The site was occupied continuously until about 2655 BC.

Irrigation was developed in the Indus Valley Civilization (see also Mohenjo-daro) by around 4500 BCE. The size and prosperity of the Indus civilization grew as a result of this innovation, which eventually led to more planned settlements making use of drainage and sewers. Sophisticated irrigation and water storage systems were developed by the Indus Valley Civilization, including artificial reservoirs at Girnar dated to 3000 BCE, and an early canal irrigation system from circa 2600 BCE.

Archaeological evidence of an animal-drawn plough dates back to 2500 BC in the Indus Valley Civilization.

All agricultural affairs and activities in Pakistan are overseen and regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Pakistan produced in 2018:

• 67.1 million tons of sugarcane (5th largest producer in the world, behind Brazil, India, China and Thailand);
• 25.0 million tons of wheat (7th largest producer in the world);
• 10.8 million tons of rice (10th largest producer in the world);
• 6.3 million tons of maize (20th largest producer in the world);
• 4.8 million tons of cotton (5th largest producer in the world);
• 4.6 million tonnes of potato (18th largest producer in the world);
• 2.3 million tonnes of mango (including mangosteen and guava) (5th largest producer in the world, only behind India, China, Thailand and Indonesia);
• 2.1 million tons of onion (6th largest producer in the world);
• 1.6 million tons of orange (12th largest producer in the world);
• 593 thousand tons of tangerine;
• 1,601 thousand tons of tomatoes;
• 545 thousand tons of apple;
• 540 thousand tons of watermelon;
• 501 thousand tons of carrot;
• 471 thousand tons of date (6th largest producer in the world);

In addition to smaller productions of other agricultural products.

 

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Most food spending supports processing, not farmers:


AFP
08 Jun 2021

PARIS: Farmers worldwide receive barely a quarter of what consumers spend at the grocery store, and even less for food consumed outside the home, researchers reported Monday.

Beyond the question of whether farmers get their fair share, the multi-step processing from farm to table may not be compatible with sustainable development, according to a study in the journal Nature Food. “People do not recognise how much of what we pay for in our meals is not the physical food,” Cornell University’s Chris Barrett, senior author of the study, told AFP by email.

“Most of the value addition in the global food economy is not on farm but rather is the processing, manufacturing, distribution and service activities closer to the consumer.”

This highly segmented value chain creates employment and provides convenience for the consumer, whether in the form of bagged salads, frozen dinners or a meal at the mall. But these consumer advantages should also be measured against the impact on health and the environment, the authors argue.

“Greenhouse gas emissions is a good example,” said Barrett, pointing to the carbon pollution generated by all the steps in the value chain. “So is water use.”

“There is also the question of where desirable attributes of foods — such as minerals, vitamins, fibre — and undesirable attributes (‘bad’ fats, salt, sugar) are added or lost,” he added.

“These are all factors that have major public health implications.”

Building on a method originally applied to the US, the researchers developed a standardised approach to estimate the importance of food value chains between farmers and consumers. They applied this yardstick to data from 2005 to 2015 on 61 middle- and high-income countries that cover 90 percent of the global food economy. They found that, on average, farmers receive 27 percent of what is paid for foods consumers eat at home.

The study focused on the three-quarters of food that is consumed in the same country where it is produced.

For the other 25 percent, “the farmer share of consumer expenditures on imported foods is almost surely even less,” said Barret.

The already vast proportion of food dollars going to post-farm activities is only likely to increase, the study concluded.

Farmers in fast-growing economies like China and India will earn more as their populations get richer, but their share of food spending is likely to shrink as demand for convenient consumption grows. The study points to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — adopted in 2015 and set for 2030 — as a way to measure the impact of the vast and growing food value chain sector.

What happens to food between farm and consumer will be critical to many SDGs including those targeting poverty, hunger and “responsible consumption and production”.

 

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As Pakistan unveiled the Economic Survey 2020-21, the government announced it beat many earlier projections as the economy was able to stage a V-shaped recovery. Here are the salient features of the survey, according to AHL Research.


Agriculture sector registered a growth of 2.77%.

Wheat witnessed a growth of 8.1%, rice 13.6%, while maize recorded a growth of 7.38%.

Sugarcane recorded the second-highest ever production at 22%. On the other hand, cotton witnessed a negative growth of 22.8% resulting in 15.6% decline in cotton ginning.

 

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Budget 2021

Shedding light on the issues, the finance minister said that inflation is a problem as it is affecting the low-income segment.

“It should be accepted that inflation is rising due to rise in food prices.”He claimed that $16 billion reserves are enough for imports for three months. Sufficient reserves are fuelling rupee stability.


“Pakistan is a food deficit country because the sector was neglected for past 15-20 years,” he clarified.

“We have to make Pakistan a food-sufficient country and for that, we have to focus on agriculture,” Tarin added.

Commodity warehousing, cold storages are the need of the hour. Moreover, the country needs administrative control mechanism.

 

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Punjab Budget 2021


In order to ensure food security and increase agricultural productivity, the minister added, the government has made a whopping increase of over 300% in the agriculture development projects. It allocated more than Rs31 billion for the agriculture transformation and Rs 100 billion for Agriculture Transmission Plan. Moreover, Rs 55 billion has been set aside for the irrigation sector.

For livestock and dairy development projects, Rs5 billion have been allocated, and for the improvement of watercourses, Rs5 billion have been earmarked. For environmental protection, an allocation of Rs4 billion has been made, out of which Rs2.5 billion will go to the Prime Minister's flagship 10 billion tree tsunami project.

 

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100 acres of pilot Chilli project under Pak-China alliance completed.

The project seeks to modernise agriculture sector in Pakistan, including new seeds to enhance the crop yield, provide skill development to farm labour as well as processing & its export.

 

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‘Pilot project of chilli farm at 100 acres completed’

ISLAMABAD: Now its chilli farming that will play role in turning around economy of the country as pilot project of chilli farms has been completed with cooperation of the Chinese agricultural experts.

The CPEC Authority Chairman Lt Gen (R) Asim Saleem Bajwa has announced that pilot project of chilli farm with 100 acres is completed. In his tweet, he said that in the next phase, as many as 3000 acres of land would be brought under chilli cultivation. He said the Pak-China Condiment alliance had been formed with the Chinese partners CMEC and Sichuan Litong Food Group. This project would also help boosting exports of spices from the country. This would enhance yield, improve seed quality, skill development, farm labour, and processing.

The official sources claimed that the project chilli farming is expected to produce more than 8,000 tons of dried chilies with a net income of more than Rs100,000 per acre for local farmers. Based on this, it will further develop downstream deep processing industries and create more employment opportunities.

In the first phase of Chilli Contract Farming Project, China-Pakistan Agricultural Cooperation Pilot Zone is to be set up in five years, while in its Phase II, it is expected to grow 30,000 acres of chilli and build pigment extracting plant, with an industrial output value of $200 million. While in the third phase, a China-Pakistan food industrial park would be established in 5 to 10 years, to promote the condiment industry in both countries.

As per agricultural cooperation under the mega project of CPEC, a plan of 20 projects is being implemented to modernise the agriculture sector in Pakistan, including new seeds to increase the crop yield, upgrading of irrigation system, promotion of agri-based industry for value addition and setting up global chain network.

 

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Ziarat Balochistan cherries

 

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Govt bringing reforms in agri sector through comprehensive strategy: Imran Khan



APP
JUNE 29, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that the provision of relief to farmers was one of the foremost priorities of government and that it was bringing reforms in the agriculture sector through a comprehensive strategy.

The Prime Minister was talking to the Minister for National Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam, who called on him here.

Record production of all crops during the current year as well as the strategy for next year’s crops was discussed in the meeting.

The meeting also decided to hold Kissan Convention in Islamabad on July 1.

Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Syed Fakhar Imam on Monday said the government has planned to spend Rs 53.5 billion this year 2021-22 on agricultural development and reforms to enhance the agriculture growth in the country.

 

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Food security biggest challenge for Pakistan in coming years: PM Imran

Dawn.com
Published July 1, 2021 -


Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday termed food security as one of the biggest challenges being faced by Pakistan, saying the country must take steps now to protect its population in the future from food shortages.

Addressing a farmers' convention in Islamabad, the premier noted that Pakistan imported four million tonnes of wheat last year, which dented the country's foreign exchange reserves at a time of a shortage of dollars.

"Pakistan has new challenges and the biggest challenge is food security," he said, adding that preparation needed to be done now about how Pakistan will produce crops for its fast-increasing population in the next 5-15 years.

See: Low earnings and agricultural neglect push Pakistan into food insecurity

He noted that around 40 per cent children in the country did not reach their full height nor did their brain develop fully because they did not receive enough nutrition.

"Food security is actually national security," he emphasised, saying the government in order to address the issue of stunting was bringing a nutrition programme through Ehsaas for the first time.

The prime minister pointed out that availability of pure milk was also a major issue related to the growth of children. He said initial investigations carried out after he had been alerted to the issue had pointed out contamination and dodgy practices such as counterfeit milk production.

He lamented that children were not receiving the most basic thing needed for their growth in its pure form, saying restrictions to control such issues had led to price increases and that showed Pakistan's milk production lagged behind other countries. The premier said a simple solution to this was to import good quality bull semen from abroad which could improve the genes of local cattle.

Imran also termed "elite capture" as a major problem for Pakistan.

He said: "The country wasn't made for everyone [and] a small segment captured all resources and no one tried to change it."

Pointing out disparities in education, justice and more, the premier said no one in the past had thought about the common man or the weak segments. "The same happened in our agriculture. Most of our farmers have small land holdings," he said, adding that they couldn't afford good quality seeds unless they were helped.

"So everywhere the system left the weak person behind and the first thing a government in a society with humanity does is to pay attention to the weak segments."

Citing China's example and how it had managed to raise people out of poverty, Prime Minister Imran reiterated that if the country remained as it was, then food security would become an issue of national security.

"If any nation can't really provide a proper diet to its people then it can never move forward. If 15-40pc of your population is of hungry people then they will bring that nation down and they should. The nation which can't provide a proper diet to its people should be punished," he said.

He also pointed to Israel and how it had successfully managed to cultivate a desert environment and take it to new heights.

The prime minister said the government now intended to not only help farmers but also facilitate them through research and guidance on seed development and which crop would be best suited for an area. He added that agriculture techniques from China would be brought over under the ambit of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor since agriculture had also now been included in the project.

He mentioned a number of measures in this regard such as interest-free loans, direct subsidies through the Kisan Card, training for small-scale farmers, cultivation of idle land, zoning, interactions with farmers associations and better transport and storage facilities.

"Our effort is that the more we keep our farmers prosperous, the more [agricultural] productivity will increase," the premier said, adding that new techniques and technology would also contribute to increasing farmers' prosperity and productivity.

"It is my belief that God made this country for a special reason. It will have a great rank in the world and this nation will become an example for the world which it should've been when Pakistan was founded."

 

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Government of Pakistan

@GovtofPakistan

In FY21, there has been a record yield of onions & daal moong alongside, livestock production & forestry.

Ministry of National Food Security and Research

Historic yield of wheat, sugarcane, maize & rice recorded in FY21 due to agriculture-friendly policies of incumbent Government.

Ministry of National Food Security and Research and 4 others