Agriculture experts at a pre-budget seminar on agriculture organised by the Institution of Engineers Pakistan Rawalpindi-Islamabad Center (IEP-RIC) expressed serious concerns over decline in farmers’ income and less use of advanced technology.
World renowned agriculture expert Shaukat Khan in his key-note cautioned that the non-seriousness and disintegrated approach at the government level towards agriculture could bring disastrous impact on country’s overall economy.
The seminar was presided over by the Chairman IEP-RIC Hafiz Ehsanul Haq Qazi.
Shaukat Khan giving a detailed presentation on sustainable agriculture development, major issues and problems related to it, stressed that wide-income gap among bread-earners of rural and urban areas should be bridged to maximum extent in order to encourage the farmers to concentrate on development of their land.
He regretted that agriculture related institutions at public and private sectors talked much, but failed to deliver on the ground and achieving their stipulated objectives. He also called for a better use of modern technology for developing efficient crops’ development system.
He also called for short and long-term measures to reduce income inequality and poverty in rural regions. He said they could overcome certain hurdles and anomalies by adopting development plan at Union council’s level.
Lack of investment trend in agriculture, as compared to other sectors is also a matter of serious concern. Government, he said needed to change the mind-set of focusing on pro-urban and pro-rich policies. Agriculture is the back-bone of the economy and it deserved utmost priority in policy-making. He hoped that in the coming budget proper measures would be taken to ensure country’s better future.
Chairman IPE-RIC Hafiz Ehsan said that they would continue holding such events to provide professional input to the government and other relevant institutions..
