Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered the competent authorities on Thursday to formulate a sustainable and long-term policy of agro-industrial development in order to promote agriculture and the key sectors in terms of attenuation of the impact of climate change, the Pakistan Associated Press reported.
While presiding over a meeting on reforms in the agricultural sector, the Prime Minister stressed that the government focuses on the modernization of agriculture to achieve self -sufficiency. He asked officials to design a coordinated strategy in consultation with the provinces and all the relevant stakeholders.
Stressing the vast potential in the agricultural sector of Pakistan for rapid economic development, the Prime Minister noted that the country has fertile land, qualified agricultural experts and workers.
Learn more: Low cotton, corn
He also ordered that agricultural loans will be granted to farmers in easy terms and have stressed the importance of stimulating agricultural research to improve productivity.
In addition, he also asked the departments concerned to present a national agro-innovation plan to conduct innovation in the sector.
The Prime Minister also called for the acceleration of current reforms in the certification system for agricultural seeds and the formulation of a complete action plan to promote the use of high quality seeds.
Stressing the government’s commitment to modernize agriculture, it ordered the development of a robust regulatory framework to support innovation and the adoption of technology in the sector.
During the meeting, the proposals were presented by the working group established for agricultural reforms. The meeting was followed by the federal ministers Rana Tanveer Hussain, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb and Musadik Malik, as well as senior government officials.
This development occurs while the agricultural sector of Pakistan faces significant challenges.
According to data from Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and research on the topline, the growth rate in the sector fell to 1.1% in the second quarter of the year 2024-2025, against 6.1% in the same quarter of the financial year 2023-24.
The sharp drop was widely attributed to a 31% drop in cotton production and a 15.4% drop in corn production, which are both vital for the overall performance of the sector.
Learn more: CM reveals devans to stimulate the agriculture sector
In addition, Gram crop yields have experienced a net slowdown in the Thal region nourished with rain, where prolonged drought and the effects of climate change have devastated hundreds of agricultural land, pushing local farmers into financial distress.
Earlier this month, the Sindh-Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah ordered the Department of Provincial Agriculture to develop a whole of four years for small producers to strengthen the province’s agricultural system and support vulnerable farmers.
