KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Agriculture Suhail Anwar announced the Sindh Agriculture Policy here on Tuesday
He announced the policy while addressing a joint press conference with Sindh Minister for Information, Labour, Human Resources, Transport & Mass Transit Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Sindh Minister for Livestock & Fisheries Muhammad Ali Malkani.
Siyal on this occasion said that Sindh is the second largest economy of Pakistan endowed with many characteristics of a high growth region including the excellent conditions for the agriculture sector.
It is a coastal province, strategically located between Europe and the Far East, and close to the Middle East with a huge potential to become one of the largest logistical, trade, business and human resource hub in South Asia, he stated.
The Sindh government wants to create an efficient, prosperous and resilient agriculture sector that can provide good incomes and decent employment to those involved in production, processing, transport and storage as well as provide safe, nutritious and cheap food to urban and rural populations in addition to earning foreign exchange for the country by exporting high-value agricultural products, he explained.
He said that for over last 20 years, the agriculture sector in Sindh, as well as in Pakistan, including livestock and fisheries, has not performed to its potential.
Moreover, growth has mainly been the result of increased use of resources and inputs, rather than higher productivity with low agriculture and livestock yields, which used to cause low incomes and high food prices making it difficult for the majority of Sindh’s population to afford a nutritious diet.
Siyal said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government will prioritize agriculture and livestock by initiating new programmes and initiatives to promote agricultural growth and rural uplift in the province.
The Sindh government approved this policy at a cabinet meeting held on Monday (yesterday) with the following goals:
RAISING AGRICULTURAL GROWTH:
Measures to increase the agricultural sector growth to 4-5% per annum will be taken as a necessary condition to improve incomes, reduce poverty, better food security, provide decent employment and facilitating a greater attention to sustainability.
Future growth in agriculture, livestock and fisheries will come from improving efficiency and productivity. To achieve this, the research and extension systems will be strengthened to make technological innovations in production, for example through improved seeds of major and high-value crops and livestock breeds for milk and meat.
The government will work to create a regulatory framework to encourage the banks and private sector to enhance investments and finance into agriculture sector in order to boost the level and efficiency of public expenditure to more efficient programmes and provide public goods.
REDUCING POVERTY, FOOD AND NUTRITION INSECURITY:
To meet the internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals related to poverty, gender and malnutrition, Sindh has to halve the number of poor by eliminating extreme poverty; reducing by half the malnutrition and ensure access by all people, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round; and end all forms of malnutrition.
The government intends to enhance the productive assets of the rural poor, provide inputs and services to the poor and those living in remote and resource-poor areas and encourage nutrition-sensitive agriculture production and household level consumption.
MORE SUSTAINABLE NATURAL RESOURCES USE:
The key natural resources for agriculture in Sindh are its soil and water. The government announced to promote better on-farm water management regulate, control groundwater resources and environmental flows to downstream kotri and coastal areas and manage rangelands
CREATING A RESILIENT AND CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE:
In coming years, Sindh’s rural population will have to cope with higher rainfall, temperature and river flow as well as with the increased frequency and greater intensity of natural disasters such as floods, droughts, tsunamis and sea storms.
In order to deal with these challenges and to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, the government will: promote suitable agriculture practices, including new livestock breeds and seeds, upgrade or build suitable infrastructure, improve dissemination of up-to-date weather information and early warning of disasters, launch agriculture and livestock insurance programs, prepare contingency plans and set aside funds in case of major unforeseen disasters and introduce improved crop storage and preservation techniques.
In order to prepare detailed strategies and action plans, oversee implementation and address all emerging issues, an Agriculture Policy Implementation Commission has been set up under the Minister Agriculture, Supply and Prices as its head. Other members include Planning & Development chairman, secretaries of Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock and Fisheries, Forest and Finance departments, Sindh Agricultural Growth project coordinator, farmers’ representatives including Sindh Chamber of Agriculture President, Sindh Abdgar Board president and others.
