THE Kissan Board Pakistan has demanded that agriculture receive at least 10pc of the federal and provincial budgets to lower input costs and address recurring deficits.
asserted
agriculture → demand → deficits
The farmers’ body also wants support prices of Rs5,000 per 40kg for wheat and Rs700 for sugarcane, citing declining profitability.
asserted
body → want → profitability
It has criticised urea shortages, high electricity bills, weak fruit sector returns, and the Pak-Afghan border closure, warning of protests if their demands are not met.
asserted
demands → criticise → protests
Their case for enhanced budgetary allocations deserves consideration.
asserted
case → enhance → consideration
The sector contributes about 22pc of GDP and supports nearly 60pc of the population, but receives only 2-3pc of allocations.
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sector → contribute → allocations
However, money alone will not fix matters.
asserted
money → fix → matters
Nor should a larger allocation become another excuse for inefficient price subsidies.
asserted
allocation → become → subsidies
Pakistan has spent decades trying to support farmers through administered prices, input subsidies and other interventions.
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Pakistan → spend → prices
This has distorted markets, encouraged inefficient production and benefited better-connected producers more than small farmers.
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This → distort → farmers
Public investment should, instead, address structural weaknesses that depress farm productivity.
asserted
that → address → productivity
Water management, irrigation efficiency, farm-to-market roads, storage, research, extension services and better seed technology need sustained investment.
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management → need → investment
Mechanisation must become a central priority.
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Mechanisation → become → ?
Shared machinery services, and affordable financing can help spread mechanisation without imposing a massive capital burden on farmers.
asserted
services → help → farmers
The aim should be to lower production costs, while raising yields and quality.
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aim → lower → yields
That requires modernisation, not perpetual protection from market forces.
asserted
That → require → forces
Farmers cannot become globally competitive if they face unpredictable trade policies, distorted input markets, poor access to finance, unreliable power and water supply, and arbitrary official intervention in crop markets.
asserted
they → become → markets
Policy must encourage farmers to respond to prices and market demand rather than to official announcements.
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Policy → encourage → announcements
Pakistan also needs to look beyond the farm gate.
asserted
Pakistan → need → gate
A stronger downstream processing industry can reduce post-harvest losses, add value to farm output and create export opportunities.
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industry → reduce → opportunities
Better cold storage, grading, packaging, processing, and logistics are essential, and can help stabilise markets when production falls by allowing stocks to be preserved.
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stocks → help → markets
This matters because agriculture is treated as a production problem when it is really a value-chain issue.
asserted
agriculture → matter → problem
Producing more wheat, fruit, vegetables, sugarcane or rice means little if large quantities are wasted, farmers receive poor returns, and consumers face shortages or sudden price spikes.
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consumers → produce → shortages
Farmers, therefore, are right to demand greater public investment.
asserted
Farmers → demand → investment
It should be where the money goes and what it achieves.
asserted
it → go → what
Agriculture needs investment, but not another round of costly interventions.
asserted
Agriculture → need → interventions
It needs infrastructure, technology, mechanisation, processing, markets, and policies that make farming competitive rather than dependent on the state’s largesse.
asserted
farming → need → largesse
The Aporia
