The agriculture sector is sharing 21 percent in country’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP), should be treated as an industry to help prompt economic growth, agro people opined.
We have huge resources and Pakistan has been among the top agriculture and livestock producing countries said agriculture sector people.
There is need of farm management to tap this enormous potential while the life of country’s rural population could be uplifted if proper attention is paid towards the promotion of livestock.
The promotion of this sector can alleviate poverty as there is a potential of investments in the livestock industry and billions of rupees could be earned by harnessing its produce including milk and meat. The fishery is also a major sector having a lot of investment opportunities, as there was tremendous potential in the fish industry, it’s breeding and production, and processing.
The importance of proper pre-and post-harvest crop management mechanism cannot be ruled out and stakeholders can take full advantage of the agriculture yield, Rana Abdul Sattar, former member Sindh Assembly, and former Chief Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association said.
However adequate funds and management of products were required to promote agriculture sector, some horticulture and agriculture products could help country earn huge foreign exchange.
Shakeel Ahmad, Chief of Sindh Agriculture Forum was of the view that government was attaching high priority to agriculture sector for enhancing production of agricultural commodities for food security that would improve the socio-economic condition of farmers.
The efforts of Pakistan Agriculture Research Council and BARI olive scientists for promotion and cultivation of this crop in Potohar region is commendable. There is need to move forward scientifically and utilize marginal lands only for olive cultivation so that prime land may be utilized for other cash crops. Through promotion and cultivation of olive in Pakistan, we can minimize oil import bill and save foreign exchange. Currently, olive plantation over 5,100 acres in Pakistan and in future 8,000 acres of land would be brought under olive cultivation.
Agriculture scientists should reach to impart update knowledge at farmers’ field so farmers could benefit from research, new knowledge and innovations. All the lands under olive will be marginal lands and no prime land will be used as this crop can flourish on marginal lands. During 2016, around 36 tons of olive fruit entered in Pakistan market and it would further increase in coming years.
PARC and Unique Value Private Limited Chakwal should enhance their joint venture in order to increase olive and its products to be sold in the market. PARC is facilitating the companies in purchasing fruit and ensure maintaining the quality of products and quality testing facilities. The private companies are playing their significant role for the olive promotional as well as the expansion of the use of olive oil and other value-added products of olive, like olive cake, pickles, jam, murabba, biscuits and other products.
It would be difficult to bring about change unless agriculture was not treated as an industry besides giving it proper attention, they asserted.