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It is time for looking at farmers' needs
Zafar Samdani
While the federal government has come up with an approximate size of output for the current wheat crop, much of it still in the fields, it is time for the authorities to look at the farmer's needs and ensure that they receive official price for their produce rather than for basking in the dubious glory of concocted or wish-based statistics.
Expectations of the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet (ECC) of a 21-million ton wheat crop are to be taken with a pinch of salt. For one thing, the supply of water was insufficient, rains notwithstanding and for another, the high cost of inputs stood in the way of small farmer's desire to give their crop the requisite nourishment.
Given the kind of efficiency the administration is credited with, it is unlikely that the impact of the rain was comprehensively assessed and analysed. Chances are that possible negative impact of rains did not feature in any consideration. But the fact of the matter is that many of the famished fields were inundated by rains and that undermines a crop as badly as shortage of water. Water poverty is as damaging for many crops as unavoidable water affluence.
I have been talking to farmers and experts in Punjab and they feel that the size of the crop could well be around 19 million tons. Even that is a good crop but less than the estimates of the government. It is better to err on the side of cautiousness instead of accepting reports that may well be exaggerated and filed to fill desires. The estimate should have been avoided because a few weeks separate the crop from harvesting in Punjab that has the largest area under wheat.
However, whatever the total yield, the authorities are required to assure the farmers that the result of their sweat and toil would not be exploited as was done during the past few years when official price was not paid to farmers. Officials of food departments and middlemen ganged up to deprive them of their due share and the former also worked for the high, the mighty and the influentials.
There is another aspect of the crop. This has been stated more than once but the issue is important enough to be raised again, indeed to be raised again and again. The support price of wheat was last enhanced four years back for the crop of 1999-2000.Since then, much water has flown from under the economy in general and rural economy in particular. Suffice it to say that the rate of Rs300 per 40 kg is palpably unfair and amounts to skinning the farmer.
Even worse is the fact that it is not guaranteed. Both food departments and PASSCO, the official procurers of wheat, have served vested interest of big landowners and well-connected absentee landlords in recent years. The situation threatens to be more grave for small farmers this year with the national and provincial assemblies teeming with land-owning politicians. They may not wield much weight as democrats but their credentials are quite influential for becoming priority clients of wheat procuring agencies. They could throw their status around for securing priority sale of their crop; politicians are known for looking after their interests.
The procurement issue has been compounded by destabilizing food departments. They were considered for dismantling three years back as the Asian Development Bank tied the abolition of the departments to a $250-million loan for the agriculture sector reforms. The government of Sindh rejected the idea, but the administration of Punjab went through the motions of discussing its pros and cons and that had an unsettling effect on the provincial food department.
The ADB had prescribed that PASSCO should be the only agency for the procurement of wheat on behalf of the government and that too for a total quantity of two million tons. The ADB had also suggested that the disposal of the remaining crop should be left to the private sector. Officials of international monetary agencies may not comprehend the implications but in local parlance, "private sector" stands for handing over the sector to arhitis or middlemen.
That amounts to leaving farmers almost to wolves in many cases. The idea was rejected but it inflicted damage on the functioning of the food department in Punjab and created uncertainty among its employees. The department is not highly reputed either for efficiency or for above board dealings. The possibility of its abolition aggravated existing problems. Staffers unsure of their future may not be the best group for equitable dealings.
On taking over the reins of the government, President Pervez Musharraf had pledged to protect the rights of small farmers. The Jamali government has shown a keen interest in the farming sector. In Punjab, the administration of Chief Minister Pervez Elahi has committed himself more than once to supporting the sector and ensuring a fair deal for farmers.
Small farmers were forced to sell their crop below support price during the last three years, at times at throwaway rates. One can say with certainty that at least in Punjab there was hardly any small landholder who received the right rate for his produce. This is obviously not conducive for obtaining maximum from the sector.
One cannot expect correct appreciation of the situation from non-political administrations. They take over for short periods and long-term management is alien to their style and approach, grand plans notwithstanding. But politicians should be viewing the scene differently, despite the fact that those from rural constituencies have axes to grind.
However, even they know where the votes come from - other than those who have submitted themselves totally to official patronage and feel that playing subservient to non-political pressures serves their personal cause better.
If the government wants the farming sector to play its role in the national economy, it must ensure that the farmers receive the right price, that is, official rates for their produce. Otherwise, it may succeed in procuring the required quantity but the sector would be undermined in the process. As it is, wheat cultivation area showed a decline this year. If the farmer's due is not paid, it could shrink further and not just marginally.
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Pakissan.com;
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