Pakistan Kissan Ittehaad Chairman Khalid Khokher on Monday called for an immediate declaration of an agricultural emergency, transparent wheat procurement and the establishment of small-scale agro-processing units to reduce post-harvest losses, enhance farmers’ incomes and strengthen the country’s food security. Talking to the media, Khokher stressed the need to promote value addition in agriculture through small processing units with government support and cooperation from the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA).

He said such facilities would enable farmers to preserve and process perishable agricultural produce instead of selling it at low prices during periods of surplus. Citing mangoes,potatoes,tomatoes,sweet potatoes and peas,he said Pakistan had significant potential to increase agricultural earnings through processing, preservation and value addition. However,the lack of adequate facilities forced growers to sell their produce without realizing its full commercial value.

He urged the government to provide interest-free loans to farmers for establishing small processing plants to produce mango pulp and preserve vegetables and other agricultural commodities for longer periods. Such facilities,he said,would minimize wastage, stabilize farmers’ incomes and create opportunities for supplying processed agricultural products to domestic and international markets. Welcoming the federal government’s decision to fix the wheat price at Rs.4,500 per maund, Khokher described it as a positive step towards reviving the agricultural sector.

He said wheat was the engine of agriculture and a remunerative price for the staple crop could improve the economic prospects of farmers cultivating other crops as well. Expressing optimism that the decision would encourage farmers to expand wheat cultivation, he anticipated an increase of around 10 per cent in production. However,he stressed that announcing a support price alone would not be sufficient without a transparent and effective procurement mechanism to ensure that growers received the announced price.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)