LAHORE:Pakistan Kissan Board President Sardar Zafar Hussain has demanded the federal and provincial governments to allocate at least 10 percent of their budgets to agriculture in the upcoming fiscal year and introduce farmer-friendly policies to strengthen agricultural production, food security, and the rural economy.
Addressing a pre-budget press conference here, he said agriculture contributes 24 percent to the national economy and provides employment to around 45 percent of the workforce, yet receives a disproportionately small share of public spending.
He noted that the federal government allocated only 0.36 percent of its budget to agriculture last year, while Punjab allocated 1.5 percent, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1.9 percent each, and Balochistan 2.5 percent.
Sardar Zafar Hussain said that 60 to 70 percent of Pakistan’s population is directly or indirectly linked to agriculture, but the sector’s growth rate has declined from 6.5 percent to just 0.6 percent. He termed the situation alarming and called for urgent corrective measures.
He said Pakistan could earn up to $60 billion annually through agricultural exports if the sector received adequate support. Expressing concern over rising input costs, he said a bag of urea sells for around Rs900 and DAP fertilizer for Rs4,500 in India, whereas Pakistani farmers pay approximately Rs4,500 for urea and Rs16,000 for DAP.
