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Will agriculture attract PM's focus or
rhetoric?
By Zafar Samdani
There has hardly been any government of Pakistan that has not
pledged focus on, and sustained developmental work, in the
agriculture sector but, except for brief periods , attention
has been confined to declaration of intentions and rhetorical
support.
 The new Prime Minister, Mr. Shaukat Aziz, has also started on
that note by aiming at "eight percent growth rate in
agriculture in the current fiscal year". His area of expertise
is finance, banking to be exact, but as the chief executive of
the state, he is expected to address the full spectrum of
national needs and priorities and as manager of the country's
economy, a portfolio he is billed to retain, he would know the
strength and weaknesses in the part of the economic body known
as its backbone.
Agriculture has been constantly described as the strength of
Pakistan's economy but strangely and regrettably, a country
with its strength in agriculture to the extent that all of its
major industries, except automotives other than tractors, are
based on the produce from the land or linked with it and
exports heavily dependent on crops, Pakistan should be
importing food to meet its domestic consumption requirements.
Mr. Aziz has been associated with a government that
experienced, for the first time in decades, Pakistan meeting
its wheat requirements from the country's farms and then
reverting to imports with in a period of four years. That has
been a terrible leap backwards, unfortunately though not
surprisingly, accompanied by rumors of a 'wheat scam' at quite
a high level.
It is yet to be ascertained if there really was wheeling
dealing but colossal mismanagement of resources, firstly in
the form of mishandling of stocks and secondly through
inadequate harnessing of resources is undeniable.
If these problems persist, the picture would become bleaker in
the coming years. Indeed we may not have to wait for long for
darker days because water shortage is already hurting the
agriculture sector.
That is not unusual in countries like Pakistan where
accountability is partisan, the government prefers to push its
dirt under the rug and prefers to continue holding previous
administrations for whatever mess it has created. As a result,
wheat scam or mishandling has not received any attention from
the government. The obvious consequence of this manner of
management is to expect more of the same, that is, either
increase in corruption or more squandering of resources.
The first important task in the agriculture sector before the
new PM is thus stemming the rot. The guilty must be identified
and removed from the scene, asking for punishments and
accountability would be an unrealistic demand, and replace the
incompetent and the corrupt with people who are at least
relatively above board and capable of delivering.
Can the PM do that? There seems no hurdle in his way. But
priorities must be listed at the outset. Pakistan's main food
imports are edible oils, tea and now wheat. Reducing edible's
imports is not an impossible undertaking. But doing that
requires political will and commitment to take on the vested
interest elements whose orientation to personal profits has
been a destructive force for the national economy.
The importers' lobby is strong and influential. It has
successfully kept edible crops restricted to a small size at
the cost of national interests, suggesting the presence of
such elements within the government.
If the government makes a determined bid to support edible
crops and creates conditions conducive for smooth functioning
of the extraction industry, the situation can be substantially
improved, if not reversed, within a short period of time.
Can the prime minister and his ministers for agriculture and
commerce rise to this challenge? One does not know the answer
at this point in time but one thing would become crystal clear
if they fail to follow a policy aimed at reducing imports by
increasing local produce, they would be regarded as part of
the lobby that costs Pakistan a hefty import bill every year
when the country has fields and means to scuttle imports
significantly.
Working for self-sufficiency in edible oils is not impossible.
The ministry of agriculture did this once under the
secretaryship of Dr. Zafar Altaf but he did not receive the
needed support from the government; indeed he paid for getting
in the way of the importers and their patrons with a transfer.
The reward of an effort to improve the economy was punishment.
The problem is thus within the federal government but it is
something that a prime minister should be able to resolve. If
it fails to do the obvious, one would be forced to assume not
only that it lacks the will and the mettle but also that its
sights do not coincide with national interests. The
authorities would be seen as part of the import mafia if there
were no improvements in this area.
A major problem has been created for agriculture by the
government's policies towards sugar millers. One of the
reasons for the shortfall from last year's wheat crop was a
delayed start for crushing; this had an adverse impact in
areas where cane is alternated by wheat. The farmers were
forced to delay wheat cultivation and they lost on yield.
That the sympathies of the administration are with the sugar
millers is no secret; indeed the government gives the
impression of being the manager of their interests even if the
millers' targets are contrary to the overall needs of the
country.
Such a policy is certain to lead Pakistan into a deeper mess
and hurt the economy with no end. Prime Minister Aziz does not
have to be told that in so many words. He has been in the
thick of things long enough to know the lay of the land and
realize what he must do.
Tea is another costly import, counting for quite a bill to the
exchequer. The Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC)
Station in Abbotabad has been in the news for some years.
It is about three years back that the then agriculture
minister had predicted that within the next three to four
year's time, Pakistan would be able to rely on its produce of
tea leaves to a substantial extent if not totally. Since then,
there have been two ministers in charge of the ministry but
nothing has been heard on this count.
Either the PARC was needlessly blowing its trumpet, it had
nothing reportable in its tea kitty and was leading the
minister on the garden path, knowing that he would not be
there for long or importers have prevailed on the authorities
to ignore local production and let status quo continue in tea
imports. It does not require special acumen to conclude that
the situation is not beneficial for the country and its
economy.
I am personally aware that the PARC had done good work at its
tea station; the organization should speak for itself and say
that its claim was not hollow. However, government
organization are allowed to present only such matters before
the public that suit the over all scheme of administration.
Explaining the correct situation in this regard thus rests
with the government. One hopes that the new minister for
agriculture would clarify facts and inform the public about
the exact status of development of tea cultivation in the
country.
This is essential because, with the change in the relations of
Pakistan and India and groups working for trade with the
neighbouring country for importing goods from India in fact,
possibilities of improving tea cultivation in Pakistan would
suffer. The profit makers would prefer that the commodity be
imported from India.
The question is whether the PM would be able to command and
counter vested interests. As finance minister, he pandered to
the sugar lobby and did nothing to disturb edible oil
importers while the tea issue was ignored.
If that is the line taken by him as finance minister who is
the country's new prime minister, there is not much to hope
from the agriculture sector, particularly as water
availability is growing more acute by the day.
Mr. Aziz is reported to have cited agriculture as one of his
top priorities and hopes to achieve an 8 per cent growth rate
in the current fiscal year. This is a tall but not impossible
order.
The issues are clear. The government has resources to meet
national requirements. All that is required is will and
courage to counter vested interests.
The country would be beholden to him if Mr. Aziz manages to
display these qualities. Otherwise, he would be just another
name in the list of prime ministers of Pakistan who came with
the good intention and positive declarations but left the
stage by making the clouds of despair thicker and deepening
the economic mess because of a non-performing agriculture
sector. The gauntlet is there; he has to decide whether to
pick it up or look the other way and bask in the fake glory of
false power.
Courtesy: The DAWN
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