Sindh’s farming bodies’ representatives attribute high input costs, substandard seeds with low agriculture production
According to Sindh’s farming bodies’ representatives, high prices of different agricultural inputs and substandard seeds are negatively impacting per acre yield and making farming difficult for farmers throughout Pakistan, especially in Sindh.
Speaking at a seminar, organised by Sindh Abadgar Board and Sindh Chamber of Agriculture in collaboration with Monsanto Pakistan, at a local hotel of Hyderabad, they said that there was an urgent need to bring down the input costs and ensure the availability of quality seeds to farmers so that productivity of Pakistan’s agriculture could be increased,
The seminar, which was attended by a large number of farmers from different areas of Sindh, was addressed by Sindh Abadgar Board President Abdul Majeed Nizamani, Sindh Chamber of Agriculture General Secretary Nabi Buksh and representatives of Monsanto Pakistan, a private agricultural company.
Sindh Abadgar Board and Sindh Chamber of Agriculture leadership also urged the federal and provincial governments to facilitate private sector companies including multinationals for introducing latest agricultural technologies, particularly new seed varieties, in the country to increase stagnant crop yields. The use of latest agricultural technology and innovation, they said, would increase farm profitability to the benefit of farmers and would also ensure food security for the country. They said that Pakistan’s agriculture and in turn economy has tremendous potential to grow, adding that self-sufficiency in the agriculture sector could only be achieved by framing farmer friendly policies.
Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Abadgar Board president Abdul Majeed Nizamani said that high cost of inputs was one of the biggest problems Pakistani farmers were facing today. He went on to say that agri inputs rates in regional countries especially India were very lower, which is why Pakistan’s agriculture lags behind and yields of different crops here are lower. He said that availability of quality seeds was also a major issue, which, according to him, can only be resolved by encouraging reliable agricultural companies like Monsanto and taking action against mighty fake seed mafia.
“Reliable companies provide supportive infrastructure to the farmers,” he pointed out. Nizamani also said that private sector companies should step up efforts to increase local production of high-yielding seeds so that their prices could be reduced further.
Sindh Chamber of Agriculture General Secretary Nabi Buksh, in his address, said that goal of national development and prosperity can only be achieved by taking concrete steps for the uplift of agriculture sector and facilitating farmers, especially the poor ones.
Buksh urged the government to hand over latest agricultural technologies to the farmers in the shortest possible time to make farming more profitable and sustainable. He said that reliable private companies like Monsanto are doing great work in Pakistan, which is evident from their close and direct relationship with Pakistani farmers.
In their speeches, Monsanto Pakistan’s representatives said Monsanto is a sustainable agriculture company which delivers agricultural products that support farmers all around the world. They said that Monsanto was committed to Pakistan and play its role to improve the productivity of Pakistan’s agriculture, which had tremendous potential to grow.
They further said that Monsanto’s mission was to feed the world by increasing yields and making agriculture profitable for the farmers. They informed the gathering that Monsanto is selling high-yielding hybrid corn and vegetables seeds in Pakistan, which are helping farmers get very high yields.
Monsanto Pakistan sales manager Amir Iqbal said that Monsanto’s vision for sustainable agriculture strives to meet the needs of a growing population. Monsanto Pakistan’s Javed Iqbal and Amjad Iqbal said, “Monsanto is focused on empowering farmers—large and small—to produce more from their land while conserving more of natural resources.”
