Agriculture woes.

AGRICULTURE is the lifeline of Pakistan's economy. It is a source of livelihood for two-thirds of the country's population living in villages and employs almost 39pc of the national labour force besides contributing to the nation's overseas shipments of textiles, leather, rice, etc, which together form around three-quarters of the export revenue. More importantly, the country's food security is reliant on the performance of the agriculture sector. Yet, only a negligible amount of money is spent on research and development to develop new high-yield seed varieties, assist farmers adopt modern technologies, improve soil fertility, help cattle owners increase milk yield and meat production for domestic and export markets, and so on. On top of that, smallholders are left at the mercy of middlemen and speculators for credit to buy inputs at hefty costs. Much of the government input subsidies are directed towards major crops such as wheat, rice and sugarcane, a policy that discourages growers to shift from low- to high-value crops. Research shows that improvement in crop output is driven primarily by expansion of the cultivable area and the increased use of chemicals, which has spawned food-safety concerns. It is also hinders efforts to boost agricultural exports.

Thus, it is not without reason that Prime Minister Imran Khan has termed agriculture 'the most important sector' for the...