Agriculture sector was not on rise in PTI govt tenure in FY21

F.P. Report

LAHORE: Pakistan Businesses Forum (PBF) have rejected the claim of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief that agriculture was booming during the PTI rule.
PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan shared on Wednesday a tweet, giving statistics showing an agriculture boom in the financial year 2021.
It was claimed that 18.6 per cent growth was witnessed in cotton production, 9.6pc in sugarcane, 51.6pc in grams, 34.8pc in potato, 10.7pc in rice, 8.6pc in maize and 28.9pc in moong bean in FY21.
PBF Vice President, Ahmad Jawad stated iam taken aback that how PTI claimed that they made a massive boom withinside the agriculture area for FY21.
He said cost of production were increased of the farmers at substantial level, if we only talk about fertilisers sector the significant jump were witnessed up to 150 percent especially in DAP and Potash.
The situation of local manufactured urea were also bleak, farmers have been waited withinside the lengthy queue to get one bag and address such humiliation and in reaction now we could face wheat crises. Now we will import minimum 3 million tons of wheat to fead our population.
Similarly tractors have been additionally went past the fee tag of the farmers pocket. Including the electricity tariff of tube wells were also increased. How PTI chief says agriculture area become confirmed massive boom.
Can previous government may tell what was their contribution for the increasement of the production of the said crops? It’s only due to efforts of the farming community. We have to keep away from to take useless credit.
Jawad also demanded that the incumbent government must pay fertiliser subsidy directly to farmers through the Ministry of National Food Security and provincial governments in an effort to reduce prices, which have skyrocketed and led to less-than-required consumption.
Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) prices have crossed Rs10,000 per bag, dealing a major blow to the farmers.
In order to give up the manipulation of marketplace through fertiliser dealers, who have been allegedly concerned in black-advertising and profiteering, the authorities ought to sign up them.
PBF official also viewed Pakistan agriculture have to shift to fashionable irrigation technology inclusive of drip and sprinkle irrigation. Many superior international locations had been the use of those strategies for years now as those strategies have proved to be pretty powerful and enabled those international locations to get excessive yields at the same time as the use of much less water.
Similarly terming smuggling of numerous food items including wheat and wheat related products to Afghanistan is a challenge for the present government, called for taking measures to enhance agriculture quarter.
Ahmad Jawad further stated that Pakistan is an agricultural country and by no means suffered a disaster in this sector ever before. The incumbent government wishes to take positive measures to enhance the arena as people of the country have hopes with the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he stated.
He in addition stated the provincial governments want to collaborate with the federal authorities to triumph over the problems associated with the agriculture quarter and enhance the industry. It is the obligation of customs officers at the ground, regulation enforcement groups at the border, police, and officers to govern the smuggling of wheat to Afghanistan, he stated.