As emphasized in previous articles, food security is a major issue that Pakistan is facing. This article will analyze how the government is tackling this situation.
The Prime Minister’s National Agriculture Emergency Program (NAEP) has generated a fund of Rs. 309 billion which comes from both, federal and provincial governments. It can be noted that around Rs. 313 million has been allocated for sugarcane, while Rs. 1,073 million has been allocated for rice. Moreover, Rs. 482 million has been allocated for oil seeds, Rs. 156 million for cage clusters, and Rs. 482 million for trout farming.
Similarly, the government has used a unique approach by providing around 200 thousand+ bags of certified rice seeds to growers on low rates. In addition, 59,000 tons of certified wheat seeds were distributed on low rates, along with weedicides for around 3 million hectar land.
The government has also been engaging with farmers through community and field improvement programs that has provided over 300 field implements on low rates, and have trained over 10,000 farmers for productivity enhancements.
As for the development side, over 1,000 water tanks are constructed, while over 5,000 water courses are developed and maintained for better irrigation throughout Pakistan. Kisan Card is another major initiate that aims to facilitate at least 1 million farmers by the end of the year. Moreover, there are initiatives for loan and credits that have so far transferred over Rs. 600 billion.
In addition, major contributions of the project have been towards olive production and pulses production.
However, even though the government has allocated a large fund for agriculture growth, there is still a lack of sustainable approach to it. While we know funds are being transferred to different sectors of the economy, there is still a dire need for them to be carried out in a sustainable way, so that the environment is not harmed for future generations. Therefore, it is important to note that each farmer should be responsible in his/her own capacity to ensure sustainable agriculture processes noted in our previous articles.