PESHAWAR: A noted agriculture expert has warned that the country may face a wheat shortfall of around three million tonnes in the upcoming crop, saying the government will have to import wheat and spend nearly $1.2 billion in foreign exchange.
“The government needs to provide subsidies on all phosphatic fertilisers to farmers and address their genuine concerns. The policy failures over the last three years have put both farmers and national food security at risk,” said Khan Faraz, a former secretary of the Pakistan Tobacco Board, while talking to The News.
He said that, being an agricultural country, Pakistan’s agriculture sector was the backbone of the country’s economy, contributing nearly a quarter of GDP and employing almost 38 per cent of the labour force.
“Wheat is the crown jewel of the agricultural sector and plays a pivotal role. Increasing its production injects vitality into the rural economy, creating jobs and providing incomes for millions of farmers and labourers who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods,” the agriculture expert opined.
He said the government had made strides to ensure sufficient wheat production through campaigns, subsidies and support prices.“Pakistan is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Erratic rainfall, rising temperatures and water scarcity are constant threats to the agriculture sector.
“The challenges can be turned into opportunities, but that requires an informed and consistent approach on a national scale,” Khan Faraz said.Quoting media reports, he said wheat farmers had demanded Rs4,702 per maund to help address the three-million-tonne shortfall.
