PM Shehbaz wants emergency agriculture reforms plan

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the relevant authorities to formulate an emergency agricultural reforms plan within two days to facilitate the farmers and uplift the sector.

This was directed by Shehbaz while chairing a high-level meeting of the Task Force on Agriculture to review the short and long-term recommendations of eight sub-committees on wheat, cotton, edible oil, fertilizers, agricultural research, usage of water, climate change and agricultural equipment.

He was briefed on recommendations for the yield of wheat, cotton and edible oil, provision of modern machinery at reduced rates, subsidy on urea and DAP, expected production and import, quality seeds, the better utility of water and timely provision of loans to the farmers.

After he was briefed on the findings of the sub-committees, he said that a reforms plan should be formulated based on the recommendations of these sub-committees and that he will soon announce a comprehensive agricultural reforms plan to focus on enhanced agricultural production and reduced input prices.

The prime minister resolved that the government will provide facilities to farmers on an emergency basis including low-cost seeds and fertilizers.

The meeting resolved that companies selling substandard seeds and pesticides will face action and that the relevant institutions will be facilitated for the introduction of quality seeds.

The prime minister said the government will also provide modern equipment and facilitate the process of loans. Moreover, silos would be constructed to help the farmers store wheat and agricultural produces.

The prime minister also called for measures to enhance the per acre yield before the cotton sowing season and ensure the provision of subsidies to farmers on agriculture inputs.

He asked the relevant authorities to keep the impacts of climate change, in consideration whilst formulating agricultural reforms.

Moreover, he also called for running an awareness campaign to acquaint the farmers with modern agricultural methods.

Federal ministers Tariq Bashir Cheema, Ahsan Iqbal, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Miftah Ismail, Special Assistants to PM Ahad Cheema and Muhammad Jahanzeb and senior officers attended the meeting. The secretaries of agriculture of all provinces also joined the meeting through video link.