Agriculture Sector growth abysmal, grew by just two percent in the last decade

The Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Saturday said agriculture sector which is the backbone of the economy grew only by two percent in the last one decade which is worrying.

The dismal growth should be noticed as the majority of the people in the country depends on this critical sector, it said.

The ratio of value-addition for the important crops remained 1.5 percent while the horticulture sector suffered, even more, said Atif Ikram Sheikh, Chairman FPCCI Regional Committee on Industries. He said that it is impossible to lift rural communities out of poverty unless commercial agriculture is promoted by the state.

Pakistan earns $1.5 billion by selling one million bales of cotton while Bangladesh earns $6 billion by adding value to the same quantity of cotton, he said, adding that our policymakers are more focused on improving yield and less concerned about quality and value-addition.

Atif Ikram Sheikh said that Pakistan is producing around 30 million tons of fresh fruits and vegetables but could not export it to US and EU markets due to quality issues.

Our exporters have no option but to export some of the quantity to the countries where quality checks are not stringent but these countries also frequently ban our agricultural products due to multiple issues.

He said that government should pay proper attention to the agriculture sector, improve cold chain and supply chain, create awareness and offer affordable agricultural machinery so that quality and quantity of production can be improved which is necessary to cater for the needs of increasing population.

Research should be improved while the cost of inputs like urea, diesel, electricity, seeds and pesticides should be reduced, he demanded.