The agriculture sector is the mainstay of Punjab's economy, contributing 19.82% to GDP and employing 42.3% of the population. However, crop yields in Punjab lag behind comparable countries and have not improved significantly in recent years. The government provides substantial subsidies to lower input costs for farmers, but expected increases in productivity, yields, and value added have not materialized. Issues like low water pricing, inefficient flood irrigation, and overuse of groundwater contribute to water scarcity problems. Improving the performance and efficiency of Punjab's agriculture sector is important for rural development and national food security.
The document discusses ways to improve Pakistan's agriculture sector and make it an engine of economic growth. It outlines several problems currently facing the sector, including limited cultivated land, low yields, lack of infrastructure and facilities, small farm sizes, outdated farming methods, insufficient research, and poor conditions for farmers. It then proposes solutions like using fertilizers and pesticides properly, establishing agro-based industries, increasing agricultural research, providing high-yielding seed varieties, setting reasonable crop prices, expanding mechanization, offering tax concessions for farm technology, and constructing dams and barrages for irrigation and flood control. The conclusion emphasizes that modernizing techniques, credit, infrastructure, and research are needed to address agriculture's problems and strengthen Pakistan's agrarian
Agriculture is an important sector for Pakistan's economy. The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for implementing agriculture policy. Agriculture contributes 19.87% to Pakistan's GDP and employs 43.7% of the labor force. Major crops include wheat, sugarcane, cotton, maize and rice. Livestock also makes up a large part of the agriculture sector, producing milk, meat and other products. However, Pakistan's agriculture faces problems like underutilization of land, outdated practices, and lack of infrastructure and research.
Agriculture sector in Pakistan 2021-22.Dileep Kumar
Agriculture is an important sector for Pakistan's economy, accounting for approximately 24% of GDP and employing over 40% of the labor force. Some key points:
- Pakistan has over 19 million hectares of cultivated land, with Punjab and Sindh producing over half of all crops.
- Major crops include wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane. Wheat and rice contribute significantly to agricultural GDP.
- Livestock also makes major contributions, with Pakistan among the top global producers of milk. The livestock sector employs millions and generates US$35 billion annually.
- While agricultural output has increased over decades, yields remain below global averages and much of the dairy industry remains informal and unorganized. The government
The document discusses the deepening agricultural crisis in Punjab, India, where 70% of people are engaged in agriculture but farmers face issues like suicide, drug use, illiteracy, and declining water tables. A survey found that from 2000-2011, over 20,000 farmers committed suicide, many between 20-40 years old and owning less than 5 acres of land. Total farmer debt in Punjab is 35,000 crore rupees. Potential solutions proposed include adopting organic farming, growing low water crops, reducing fertilizer and drug use, providing free education, insurance schemes, low electricity rates, and increasing scientific support for farmers.
This document discusses rural development in India. It notes that while industries and cities have developed rapidly, rural development has lagged behind with villages lacking basic infrastructure like schools, roads, and healthcare. It poses questions on why rural areas have fallen behind cities and highlights problems rural areas face such as lack of opportunities, education, and connectivity to cities. The objectives of rural development are to improve economic and social conditions in rural areas through infrastructure development, education, healthcare, and raising living standards.
This presentation summarizes agriculture in Pakistan and the Netherlands. It outlines that agriculture accounts for 25% of land area and 28% of GDP in Pakistan. Major crops include wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane, and various fruits. Livestock also contributes significantly. Problems in Pakistan's agriculture sector include natural disasters, water issues, lack of irrigation, and outdated practices. The presentation then contrasts this with highly productive and technologically advanced Dutch agriculture.
The document discusses various past and present agricultural extension programs in Punjab, Pakistan. It provides details on 12 past extension programs from the 1960s to 1990s, including the Village Cooperative Movement, Village AID Program, Rural Work Program, Input Farmer Doorstep Approach, People Works Program, Basic Democracies System, Training and Visit System. It also discusses current approaches like the Agricultural Hub Program and extension done by private sector companies. Finally, it provides details on two ongoing extension programs in Punjab - the National Program for Improvement of Watercourses and the National Program for Enhancing Rice Profitability.
The document discusses ways to improve Pakistan's agriculture sector and make it an engine of economic growth. It outlines several problems currently facing the sector, including limited cultivated land, low yields, lack of infrastructure and facilities, small farm sizes, outdated farming methods, insufficient research, and poor conditions for farmers. It then proposes solutions like using fertilizers and pesticides properly, establishing agro-based industries, increasing agricultural research, providing high-yielding seed varieties, setting reasonable crop prices, expanding mechanization, offering tax concessions for farm technology, and constructing dams and barrages for irrigation and flood control. The conclusion emphasizes that modernizing techniques, credit, infrastructure, and research are needed to address agriculture's problems and strengthen Pakistan's agrarian
Agriculture is an important sector for Pakistan's economy. The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for implementing agriculture policy. Agriculture contributes 19.87% to Pakistan's GDP and employs 43.7% of the labor force. Major crops include wheat, sugarcane, cotton, maize and rice. Livestock also makes up a large part of the agriculture sector, producing milk, meat and other products. However, Pakistan's agriculture faces problems like underutilization of land, outdated practices, and lack of infrastructure and research.
Agriculture sector in Pakistan 2021-22.Dileep Kumar
Agriculture is an important sector for Pakistan's economy, accounting for approximately 24% of GDP and employing over 40% of the labor force. Some key points:
- Pakistan has over 19 million hectares of cultivated land, with Punjab and Sindh producing over half of all crops.
- Major crops include wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane. Wheat and rice contribute significantly to agricultural GDP.
- Livestock also makes major contributions, with Pakistan among the top global producers of milk. The livestock sector employs millions and generates US$35 billion annually.
- While agricultural output has increased over decades, yields remain below global averages and much of the dairy industry remains informal and unorganized. The government
The document discusses the deepening agricultural crisis in Punjab, India, where 70% of people are engaged in agriculture but farmers face issues like suicide, drug use, illiteracy, and declining water tables. A survey found that from 2000-2011, over 20,000 farmers committed suicide, many between 20-40 years old and owning less than 5 acres of land. Total farmer debt in Punjab is 35,000 crore rupees. Potential solutions proposed include adopting organic farming, growing low water crops, reducing fertilizer and drug use, providing free education, insurance schemes, low electricity rates, and increasing scientific support for farmers.
This document discusses rural development in India. It notes that while industries and cities have developed rapidly, rural development has lagged behind with villages lacking basic infrastructure like schools, roads, and healthcare. It poses questions on why rural areas have fallen behind cities and highlights problems rural areas face such as lack of opportunities, education, and connectivity to cities. The objectives of rural development are to improve economic and social conditions in rural areas through infrastructure development, education, healthcare, and raising living standards.
This presentation summarizes agriculture in Pakistan and the Netherlands. It outlines that agriculture accounts for 25% of land area and 28% of GDP in Pakistan. Major crops include wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane, and various fruits. Livestock also contributes significantly. Problems in Pakistan's agriculture sector include natural disasters, water issues, lack of irrigation, and outdated practices. The presentation then contrasts this with highly productive and technologically advanced Dutch agriculture.
The document discusses various past and present agricultural extension programs in Punjab, Pakistan. It provides details on 12 past extension programs from the 1960s to 1990s, including the Village Cooperative Movement, Village AID Program, Rural Work Program, Input Farmer Doorstep Approach, People Works Program, Basic Democracies System, Training and Visit System. It also discusses current approaches like the Agricultural Hub Program and extension done by private sector companies. Finally, it provides details on two ongoing extension programs in Punjab - the National Program for Improvement of Watercourses and the National Program for Enhancing Rice Profitability.
This document discusses the agricultural sector of Pakistan's economy. It notes that agriculture contributed 61% of GDP in 2009-10, with major crops including wheat, rice, maize, cotton, and sugarcane. The document outlines factors that have affected agricultural growth rates such as small land holdings, lack of technology adoption, unreliable rainfall, and insufficient financing. It also lists issues facing Pakistan's agriculture such as water scarcity, soil degradation, and low crop yields. The document advocates for solutions like hybrid seeds, mechanization, improved irrigation, and expanded agricultural research and credit to increase agricultural production.
The document discusses India's agriculture sector. It notes that agriculture is important to the Indian economy, employing over half of India's workforce and contributing 15% to GDP, despite a majority of farmers being small-scale or marginal. Key crops include rice, wheat, and fruits/vegetables. Agricultural growth has fluctuated over time periods. New policies are needed to support small farms, rainfed areas, and rural development for sustainable growth in the sector. The government has implemented various schemes to boost agriculture. Food processing and use of technology also present opportunities in Indian agriculture.
This document discusses rural development in India. It provides an overview of rural development programs and policies in India, including the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, and Indira Awas Yojana. It also outlines some of the key challenges to rural development, such as infrastructure and economic problems, as well as people-related issues. The overall goal of rural development in India is to improve quality of life and economic well-being in rural areas through various initiatives focused on health, education, drinking water, roads, and employment.
The document summarizes Pakistan's agriculture sector. It states that agriculture accounts for about 21% of Pakistan's GDP and 43% of the labor force. The top crops are wheat, sugarcane, cotton, rice, and maize. Pakistan is a major global producer and exporter of cotton, rice, fruits, and dairy. Livestock also contributes significantly to the economy, with Pakistan being the 4th largest milk producer. The government aims to further develop the agriculture sector through loans, subsidies, and other initiatives.
The document discusses agriculture in Pakistan. It notes that Pakistan has a rapidly growing population but wheat production has only increased 2.9 fold over 50 years. Agriculture contributes 24% to GDP and employs 47% of the labor force. Key crops include cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits and vegetables. Recent declines are due to soil erosion, water wastage through flood irrigation, low yields, lack of credit and rising waterlogging and salinity. Improved mechanization, seeds, and use of tube wells can help boost agricultural production.
Challenges for Indian agriculture and solutionsTribesforGOOD
The presentation takes us through the most pressing challenges being faced by the Indian agriculture today. It also suggests probable solutions to overcome the problems and opportunities being created by social impact organisations.
Critical Evaluation of 7th, 8th and 9th 5-year plan of NepalJanjit Adhikari
It is the basic critical analysis of 7th, 8th and 9th five year plans of Nepal. The slide contain brief information about those plans and has been presented in IAAS, Paklihawa campus by 12th Batch B.Sc.Ag. 6th Semester students.
This document provides an overview of agriculture in Pakistan. It discusses different types of farming including small-scale subsistence farming and cash crop farming. It also outlines factors that affect crop production and livestock farming. The document describes fish farms and provides examples of marine, inland, and farm fish. It discusses the role of agriculture in Pakistan's economy and patterns of agricultural modernization. Problems facing the agricultural sector are outlined as well as potential remedies.
This document discusses public-private partnerships (PPPs) in agriculture in India. It defines PPPs as contractual agreements between public agencies and private sector entities that share skills, assets, risks, and rewards. PPPs are needed in Indian agriculture to address issues like slow growth, limited resources, and the need for new technologies. The benefits of PPPs include modernizing agriculture, benefiting small farmers, and bringing more efficiency. Examples provided include projects partnering the government with private companies on issues like improving maize farming and creating agricultural value chains. Challenges of PPPs include misaligned goals between sectors and high risks for private investors. Overall PPPs have potential to boost Indian agriculture if transparency and incentives
This document discusses the role of information technology in Indian agriculture. It outlines how IT can increase food production and productivity through tools like weather forecasting, digital marketplaces, mobile advisory services, greenhouse monitoring technologies, and GPS/GIS systems. The document also examines IT initiatives in India, benefits of IT for farmers, and challenges to expanding agricultural IT, with the goal of improving decision making and farm management through information access.
The document discusses expectations and realities of rural development in India. It defines rural areas and communities, noting agriculture as the main occupation. Key features of rural communities include villages as institutions, a sense of community, and religion. Rural lifestyles differ from urban ones due to limited services. Rural development aims to improve economic and social conditions through collective efforts like increased infrastructure, technology, health, education, and local economies. It discusses objectives, needs, and importance of rural development in India.
This document provides demographic details about the world population and Pakistan. It defines demography and notes that the world population reached 7 billion in 2011. It then summarizes population growth trends in Pakistan, including that Pakistan has a population of over 187 million as of 2011. Several key demographic statistics about Pakistan are presented, such as population density, birth and death rates, urbanization rates, gender ratios, and literacy rates.
Agriculture is a vital sector of Pakistan's economy, accounting for 21% of GDP and employing 41% of the labor force. Some key crops include wheat, rice, sugarcane, and cotton. Pakistan has one of the largest irrigation systems in the world due to rivers like the Indus. However, agricultural productivity and yields remain low due to issues like limited cultivated land, lack of infrastructure, and low crop intensity. The government has introduced various policies and programs to support the agriculture sector such as credit schemes, crop insurance, and subsidies.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Anjum Ali Buttar
This document provides an overview of agriculture in Pakistan, including its challenges and opportunities for sustainable development. Some key points:
- Agriculture is a major sector, contributing 19.5% to GDP and employing 42.3% of the labor force. Livestock makes up 58% of agricultural GDP.
- Pakistan faces challenges like low adoption of technology, climate change impacts, and decreasing agricultural land. However, opportunities exist like fertile land, proximity to markets, and strong research institutions.
- New technologies like improved seeds, mechanization, and irrigation methods can boost yields and diversification toward high-value crops presents opportunities for the future of Pakistani agriculture.
This document provides an overview of the key differences between rural ("Bharat") and urban ("India") areas of India across several domains:
1. Lifestyle in rural areas is more connected to nature, with less access to modern amenities compared to urban areas. Infrastructure like housing, transportation, and access to hospitals is more limited in rural areas.
2. Culture in rural areas still involves traditions like child marriage and joint family systems. Festivals also remain an important part of rural life.
3. Women in rural areas face greater obstacles to empowerment due to lack of access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and political representation.
4. Education quality and infrastructure varies significantly between rural and urban
This document discusses agriculture in Pakistan. It begins by defining agriculture and listing different types. It then discusses major crops grown in Pakistan like wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane and fruits/vegetables. It also outlines soils and cash crops. Major problems facing Pakistan's agricultural sector are then presented, such as limited land, water issues, diseases, and socioeconomic challenges. Finally, 10 measures to address these problems are recommended, including providing credit, controlling water logging/salinity, constructing dams, supplying improved seeds, increasing mechanization, boosting research, and establishing agro-industries.
This presentation contains a detailed analysis of the socio-economic profiling of Bhemdevrapalli village in the Warangal district of Telangana, done under partial fulfillment of my PGDM course at Development Management Institute.
This document provides information about Pakistan's Agricultural Census 2016. It discusses the hierarchy, methodology, scope and sample design of the Agricultural Census. Some key points:
- The Agricultural Census is conducted every 10 years and collects data on crops, livestock, farms and households.
- A merged census including agriculture, livestock and machinery will be conducted in 2016 using electronic data collection.
- A two-stage sample design is used to select villages/blocks and then households. Larger farms and livestock owners are enumerated completely.
- Four questionnaires will collect data on crops, machinery, prices and household characteristics. More than 40 crops are covered.
Agriculture is an important sector in Pakistan's economy, contributing approximately 24% to GDP. Major crops include wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane. Wheat and rice production have significantly increased due to the Green Revolution in the 1960s which introduced high-yielding varieties and improved farming techniques. Agriculture provides over 40% of employment in Pakistan and is the main source of foreign exchange earnings through exports of crops like cotton. The sector helps reduce poverty and unemployment while supplying critical food to the population.
Growth and performance of agriculture and its future challengesMohit Chauhan
Indian agriculture has experienced significant growth and changes over time. Some key points:
1) Agriculture remains an important part of the Indian economy, providing employment to around half of India's workforce and contributing approximately 13-15% to national GDP.
2) Both agricultural production and productivity have increased substantially over the past decades due to factors like increased usage of inputs, irrigation expansion, mechanization, and crop intensification.
3) However, Indian agriculture still faces challenges to sustain its growth from population pressure on land, climate change impacts, lack of post-harvest infrastructure. Future strategies are needed to boost productivity while ensuring food security.
The agriculture sector is the dominant sector of the Indian economy, providing livelihood for about 65% of the population. Some key points about Indian agriculture:
- It has grown significantly since the Green Revolution but faces challenges of small landholdings, inadequate irrigation, depleted soils, and lack of storage and financing.
- Government policies aim to achieve over 4% annual growth through private sector participation, insurance, market access, and infrastructure development.
- The sector faces population pressure, resulting in small fragmented landholdings, as well as problems of irrigation, soil depletion, storage, and farm equipment.
- Recent developments include increased government expenditure on agriculture and a target of Rs. 575,000 crore
This document discusses Pakistan's agricultural sector and government subsidies. It notes that agriculture accounts for 24% of GDP and 50% of employment. Wheat is a staple crop, with over 1/3 of acreage planted to wheat. The document outlines issues facing agriculture like waterlogging and salinity. It also discusses government subsidies for controlling waterlogging, providing seeds and farmer training. Specific subsidies discussed include an extended subsidy period for wheat exports, subsidies for fertilizers like DAP, and the conclusion recommends continuing subsidies and technology to increase wheat productivity.
This document discusses the agricultural sector of Pakistan's economy. It notes that agriculture contributed 61% of GDP in 2009-10, with major crops including wheat, rice, maize, cotton, and sugarcane. The document outlines factors that have affected agricultural growth rates such as small land holdings, lack of technology adoption, unreliable rainfall, and insufficient financing. It also lists issues facing Pakistan's agriculture such as water scarcity, soil degradation, and low crop yields. The document advocates for solutions like hybrid seeds, mechanization, improved irrigation, and expanded agricultural research and credit to increase agricultural production.
The document discusses India's agriculture sector. It notes that agriculture is important to the Indian economy, employing over half of India's workforce and contributing 15% to GDP, despite a majority of farmers being small-scale or marginal. Key crops include rice, wheat, and fruits/vegetables. Agricultural growth has fluctuated over time periods. New policies are needed to support small farms, rainfed areas, and rural development for sustainable growth in the sector. The government has implemented various schemes to boost agriculture. Food processing and use of technology also present opportunities in Indian agriculture.
This document discusses rural development in India. It provides an overview of rural development programs and policies in India, including the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, and Indira Awas Yojana. It also outlines some of the key challenges to rural development, such as infrastructure and economic problems, as well as people-related issues. The overall goal of rural development in India is to improve quality of life and economic well-being in rural areas through various initiatives focused on health, education, drinking water, roads, and employment.
The document summarizes Pakistan's agriculture sector. It states that agriculture accounts for about 21% of Pakistan's GDP and 43% of the labor force. The top crops are wheat, sugarcane, cotton, rice, and maize. Pakistan is a major global producer and exporter of cotton, rice, fruits, and dairy. Livestock also contributes significantly to the economy, with Pakistan being the 4th largest milk producer. The government aims to further develop the agriculture sector through loans, subsidies, and other initiatives.
The document discusses agriculture in Pakistan. It notes that Pakistan has a rapidly growing population but wheat production has only increased 2.9 fold over 50 years. Agriculture contributes 24% to GDP and employs 47% of the labor force. Key crops include cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits and vegetables. Recent declines are due to soil erosion, water wastage through flood irrigation, low yields, lack of credit and rising waterlogging and salinity. Improved mechanization, seeds, and use of tube wells can help boost agricultural production.
Challenges for Indian agriculture and solutionsTribesforGOOD
The presentation takes us through the most pressing challenges being faced by the Indian agriculture today. It also suggests probable solutions to overcome the problems and opportunities being created by social impact organisations.
Critical Evaluation of 7th, 8th and 9th 5-year plan of NepalJanjit Adhikari
It is the basic critical analysis of 7th, 8th and 9th five year plans of Nepal. The slide contain brief information about those plans and has been presented in IAAS, Paklihawa campus by 12th Batch B.Sc.Ag. 6th Semester students.
This document provides an overview of agriculture in Pakistan. It discusses different types of farming including small-scale subsistence farming and cash crop farming. It also outlines factors that affect crop production and livestock farming. The document describes fish farms and provides examples of marine, inland, and farm fish. It discusses the role of agriculture in Pakistan's economy and patterns of agricultural modernization. Problems facing the agricultural sector are outlined as well as potential remedies.
This document discusses public-private partnerships (PPPs) in agriculture in India. It defines PPPs as contractual agreements between public agencies and private sector entities that share skills, assets, risks, and rewards. PPPs are needed in Indian agriculture to address issues like slow growth, limited resources, and the need for new technologies. The benefits of PPPs include modernizing agriculture, benefiting small farmers, and bringing more efficiency. Examples provided include projects partnering the government with private companies on issues like improving maize farming and creating agricultural value chains. Challenges of PPPs include misaligned goals between sectors and high risks for private investors. Overall PPPs have potential to boost Indian agriculture if transparency and incentives
This document discusses the role of information technology in Indian agriculture. It outlines how IT can increase food production and productivity through tools like weather forecasting, digital marketplaces, mobile advisory services, greenhouse monitoring technologies, and GPS/GIS systems. The document also examines IT initiatives in India, benefits of IT for farmers, and challenges to expanding agricultural IT, with the goal of improving decision making and farm management through information access.
The document discusses expectations and realities of rural development in India. It defines rural areas and communities, noting agriculture as the main occupation. Key features of rural communities include villages as institutions, a sense of community, and religion. Rural lifestyles differ from urban ones due to limited services. Rural development aims to improve economic and social conditions through collective efforts like increased infrastructure, technology, health, education, and local economies. It discusses objectives, needs, and importance of rural development in India.
This document provides demographic details about the world population and Pakistan. It defines demography and notes that the world population reached 7 billion in 2011. It then summarizes population growth trends in Pakistan, including that Pakistan has a population of over 187 million as of 2011. Several key demographic statistics about Pakistan are presented, such as population density, birth and death rates, urbanization rates, gender ratios, and literacy rates.
Agriculture is a vital sector of Pakistan's economy, accounting for 21% of GDP and employing 41% of the labor force. Some key crops include wheat, rice, sugarcane, and cotton. Pakistan has one of the largest irrigation systems in the world due to rivers like the Indus. However, agricultural productivity and yields remain low due to issues like limited cultivated land, lack of infrastructure, and low crop intensity. The government has introduced various policies and programs to support the agriculture sector such as credit schemes, crop insurance, and subsidies.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Anjum Ali Buttar
This document provides an overview of agriculture in Pakistan, including its challenges and opportunities for sustainable development. Some key points:
- Agriculture is a major sector, contributing 19.5% to GDP and employing 42.3% of the labor force. Livestock makes up 58% of agricultural GDP.
- Pakistan faces challenges like low adoption of technology, climate change impacts, and decreasing agricultural land. However, opportunities exist like fertile land, proximity to markets, and strong research institutions.
- New technologies like improved seeds, mechanization, and irrigation methods can boost yields and diversification toward high-value crops presents opportunities for the future of Pakistani agriculture.
This document provides an overview of the key differences between rural ("Bharat") and urban ("India") areas of India across several domains:
1. Lifestyle in rural areas is more connected to nature, with less access to modern amenities compared to urban areas. Infrastructure like housing, transportation, and access to hospitals is more limited in rural areas.
2. Culture in rural areas still involves traditions like child marriage and joint family systems. Festivals also remain an important part of rural life.
3. Women in rural areas face greater obstacles to empowerment due to lack of access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and political representation.
4. Education quality and infrastructure varies significantly between rural and urban
This document discusses agriculture in Pakistan. It begins by defining agriculture and listing different types. It then discusses major crops grown in Pakistan like wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane and fruits/vegetables. It also outlines soils and cash crops. Major problems facing Pakistan's agricultural sector are then presented, such as limited land, water issues, diseases, and socioeconomic challenges. Finally, 10 measures to address these problems are recommended, including providing credit, controlling water logging/salinity, constructing dams, supplying improved seeds, increasing mechanization, boosting research, and establishing agro-industries.
This presentation contains a detailed analysis of the socio-economic profiling of Bhemdevrapalli village in the Warangal district of Telangana, done under partial fulfillment of my PGDM course at Development Management Institute.
This document provides information about Pakistan's Agricultural Census 2016. It discusses the hierarchy, methodology, scope and sample design of the Agricultural Census. Some key points:
- The Agricultural Census is conducted every 10 years and collects data on crops, livestock, farms and households.
- A merged census including agriculture, livestock and machinery will be conducted in 2016 using electronic data collection.
- A two-stage sample design is used to select villages/blocks and then households. Larger farms and livestock owners are enumerated completely.
- Four questionnaires will collect data on crops, machinery, prices and household characteristics. More than 40 crops are covered.
Agriculture is an important sector in Pakistan's economy, contributing approximately 24% to GDP. Major crops include wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane. Wheat and rice production have significantly increased due to the Green Revolution in the 1960s which introduced high-yielding varieties and improved farming techniques. Agriculture provides over 40% of employment in Pakistan and is the main source of foreign exchange earnings through exports of crops like cotton. The sector helps reduce poverty and unemployment while supplying critical food to the population.
Growth and performance of agriculture and its future challengesMohit Chauhan
Indian agriculture has experienced significant growth and changes over time. Some key points:
1) Agriculture remains an important part of the Indian economy, providing employment to around half of India's workforce and contributing approximately 13-15% to national GDP.
2) Both agricultural production and productivity have increased substantially over the past decades due to factors like increased usage of inputs, irrigation expansion, mechanization, and crop intensification.
3) However, Indian agriculture still faces challenges to sustain its growth from population pressure on land, climate change impacts, lack of post-harvest infrastructure. Future strategies are needed to boost productivity while ensuring food security.
The agriculture sector is the dominant sector of the Indian economy, providing livelihood for about 65% of the population. Some key points about Indian agriculture:
- It has grown significantly since the Green Revolution but faces challenges of small landholdings, inadequate irrigation, depleted soils, and lack of storage and financing.
- Government policies aim to achieve over 4% annual growth through private sector participation, insurance, market access, and infrastructure development.
- The sector faces population pressure, resulting in small fragmented landholdings, as well as problems of irrigation, soil depletion, storage, and farm equipment.
- Recent developments include increased government expenditure on agriculture and a target of Rs. 575,000 crore
This document discusses Pakistan's agricultural sector and government subsidies. It notes that agriculture accounts for 24% of GDP and 50% of employment. Wheat is a staple crop, with over 1/3 of acreage planted to wheat. The document outlines issues facing agriculture like waterlogging and salinity. It also discusses government subsidies for controlling waterlogging, providing seeds and farmer training. Specific subsidies discussed include an extended subsidy period for wheat exports, subsidies for fertilizers like DAP, and the conclusion recommends continuing subsidies and technology to increase wheat productivity.
An effect of support price toward the growth rate of sugarcane production: Ev...Premier Publishers
This paper focuses on an effect of support price toward the growth rate of Sugarcane production: Evidence from Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan by using secondary time series data from the period of 1990-91 to 2013-14. Growth rate model and Cobb-Douglas production function was applied to analyze the data. Every year government of Pakistan announced support price for sugarcane crop, the aimed of announcing supporting price to save the sugarcane producers for achieving the target of sugar production. In Punjab province, since 1990-91 to 2013-14 total growth rate of sugarcane in area, production and yield were increased 2.24%, 4.67% and 2.33% respectively. However, in Sindh Province total growth rate was calculated 1.42% for area, 3.35 for production and 1.78% for yield respectively. The results of regression analysis indicate that the both province`s area and support price have significant relationship with production. However its necessary to increase support price if the support price increase than the farmers take keen interest for cultivating more area under sugarcane with use of modern technologies and also increase the applications of inputs, so that the government of Pakistan should increase support price for promoting the sugarcane production both Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan.
Abstract: Punjabi society is most globalised, while its economy is least globalised. It has a relatively developed agriculture without much direct linkages with the industrial development. During sixties, India agriculture experienced a spectacular increase in production, especially, in that of wheat and rice. It was mainly through an increase in productivity per hectares of these crops. The jump in the rate of increase in productivity of these crops was so sudden and conspicuous that some economists termed the new change as 'Green Revolution’ The main benefits of green revolution were: Increase in food grain output, increase in market surplus, generation of more employment opportunities in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, having such great benefits green revolution was not a blessing for the farmers in Punjab. It added lots of problems in the lives of the farmers and made their life full of misery. Punjab has produced a number of paradoxes. The thrust of the paper is to suggest agricultural reforms for future course of growth and development for agriculture sector and ways and means to improve sustainability of agriculture production.
India is considered as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Agriculture is the mother of any economy, whether it is rich or poor. Much of its influence is on the other sectors of economy - industry and service. India is the second largest in farm output. Hence, India’s economic security continues to be predicated upon the agriculture sector, and the situation is not likely to change in the near future. Even today, the share of agriculture in employment is about 49% of the population, as against around 75% at the time of independence. In the same period, the contribution of agriculture and allied sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has fallen from 61% to 17% in 2015-16. Around 51% of India’s geographical area is already under cultivation as compared to 11% of the world average. China with lesser cultivable land produces double the food grains, i.e. 607 million tons in 2015 -16 as compared with India’s 252 million tons in 2015-16. The present cropping intensity of 136% has registered an increase of only 25% since independence. Further, rain fed dry lands constitute 65% of the total net sown area. There is also an unprecedented degradation of land (107 million ha) and groundwater resource, and also fall in the rate of growth of total factor productivity. This deceleration needs to be arrested and agricultural productivity has to be doubled to meet growing demands of the population by 2050. Natural resource base of agriculture, which provides for sustainable production, is shrinking and degrading, and is adversely affecting production capacity of the ecosystem. However, demand for agriculture is rising rapidly with increase in population and per capita income and growing demand from industry sector. There is, thus, an urgent need to identify severity of problem confronting agriculture sector to restore its vitality and put it back on higher growth trajectory. The problems, however, are surmountable, particularly when new tools of science and technology have started offering tremendous opportunities for application in agriculture. However, the country recorded impressive achievements in agriculture during three decades since the onset of green revolution in late sixties. This enabled the country to overcome widespread hunger and starvation; achieve self-sufficiency in food; reduce poverty and bring economic transformation in millions of rural families. The situation, however, started turning adverse for the sector around mid-nineties, with slowdown in growth rate of output, which then resulted in stagnation or even decline in farmers’ income leading to agrarian distress, which is spreading and turning more and more serious. This Paper attempts to focus attention on Issues, Challenges and Government policies of Indian Agriculture in the context of Globalization.
Contribution of agricultuter to gdp-trends & policy implicationVIVEK KUMAR
Agriculture plays a vital role in India's economy, contributing to GDP and providing livelihoods for 58% of the population. India is a major global producer and exporter of agricultural goods such as spices, fruits, and vegetables. The agricultural GDP was USD244.74 billion in FY2016, growing at a CAGR of 6.64% from FY2007-FY2016. Agricultural exports have also increased significantly, with total exports reaching USD32.08 billion in FY2016. The government is undertaking initiatives to further support the agricultural sector through increased credit availability, e-NAM market platform, organic farming, and fertilizer production.
Contribution of agricultural sector to GDP: Trend and Policy Implication ( Mi...MD SALMAN ANJUM
This document discusses the contribution of the agricultural sector to India's GDP over time and the implications for policymaking. It notes that while agriculture's share of GDP has declined to around 15%, it still provides livelihoods for over half of India's population. The document also outlines key trends in the agricultural sector GDP, public investment levels, important government missions to increase oilseed and horticulture production, and reforms to privatization, contract farming, and excise duties that influence agricultural policies. Main features of policies aim to promote privatization, contract farming, taxation changes, technology, and soil fertility improvements.
This presentation data is according to 2014 to 2015. and in this presentation we are cover all data of agriculture related government benefit given to agriculture person and state bank of pakistan will provide all benefit to agri person. government reduce price of fertilizer company.
Agriculture has historically played a large role in India's economy and workforce, but its contribution has been declining over decades as other sectors like industry and services have grown. Some key factors contributing to the agricultural crisis in India include growing economic disparities between rural and urban areas, low and unstable agricultural incomes, dependence on rainfall and climate effects, liberal import policies, reduced subsidies and government investment, and lack of access to cheap and easy loans. Addressing these issues through increased subsidies, import restrictions, credit availability, and public investment in agriculture could help support the rural economy and farming communities.
AGRICULTURE PRODUCTIVITY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH A CASE OF PAKISTANLuz Martinez
The document analyzes the relationship between agriculture productivity and economic growth in Pakistan from 1994 to 2017. It finds that:
- Gross capital formation (GCF) and inflation rate have a negative relationship with economic growth in both the short-run and long-run, while other variables like employed labor force, fertilizer, and agriculture productivity have a positive relationship.
- The government should increase investment in agriculture and introduce new technologies to improve productivity in the sector and boost economic growth.
- Empirical results from time series data and the ARDL model show agriculture productivity positively impacts Pakistan's economic growth. Increased productivity leads to increased income, employment, food security, and foreign exchange earnings.
1) Agriculture faces problems due to limited land supply, making sustained food imports not viable for India's needs. Increased agricultural productivity is required to ensure food security for current and future populations.
2) While services have replaced agriculture as the largest GDP contributor, agriculture remains the largest employer in India. The development of high-yielding seeds and the fertilizer-irrigation package in the 1960s led to large increases in productivity.
3) There are still significant variations in productivity across states and regions in India, highlighting the need to address disparities. Increased production is also required to meet projected demand increases for items like oilseeds, fish, eggs, and fruits by 2020-2021.
Punjab is focusing on renewable energy sources with a target capacity of 5,400 MW by 2022. The state is a textile hub and a major producer of crops like rice, sugarcane, and wheat. Punjab has the best infrastructure in India including roads, railways, airports. The state government is working to improve education, healthcare, transport and encourage investment in industries.
Food Processing Industries (A support system for Non Farm Activities in Rural...iosrjce
“The prosperity of India lies in the prosperity of Villages”--- Mahatma Gandhi
As there is a lot of change in the occupational structure of India since independence. But change in the overall
economy did not have a pronounced effect on rural economies as Indian population still depends largely on
agriculture sector. So, pressure on land should be reduced by giving priority to Rural Non-Farm
Activities(RNFA). Food Processing is one of the such Non-Farm Activity (NFA) which can play a crucial role in
reducing unemployment, poverty and enhances development activities in rural areas. This paper is an attempt to
explain about the significance and performance of important non-farm activity – The food processing industry
(FPI) in India. Further it highlights the major problems faced by FPI. At last it concludes with some remedial
measures for improving their performance
Development of Agriculture Sector in BangladeshAbuSayed88800
The document presents information on the development of the agriculture sector in Bangladesh. It discusses the objectives of analyzing the contribution of agriculture to the economy and identifying impediments to the sector's decline. It outlines the methodology used, which primarily involves analyzing secondary data on the economic contributions and growth rates of the agriculture, industry, and service sectors from 2000-2010. Key findings presented include the agriculture sector contributing 19.10% to GDP while employing 50.28% of the labor force. Challenges to the sector are also examined, along with recommendations to support its development.
Punjab is focused on increasing renewable energy generation and has emerged as a key textiles hub. It has strong agriculture production, particularly of rice, maize, sugarcane and barley. Punjab has the best infrastructure facilities in India, including roads, railways, airports and other connectivity. The state government is promoting industries and improving agriculture through various policies and incentives.
This document summarizes the strategic plan to double farmer income in India by 2022. It outlines that the Prime Minister and Finance Minister have made doubling farmer income a priority. It will require annual growth of 14.86% over the next 5-6 years. The plan includes seven strategies focusing on irrigation, seeds, warehousing, food processing, markets, insurance, and ancillary activities. Past strategies focused on output, but did not consider income. Multiple sources will contribute to income growth, including productivity, diversification, and non-farm activities. National programs and stakeholder consultation are part of the approach. Current data shows average farmer income needs to double to meet the goal. Coordinated efforts across states and sectors are needed
Agriculture plays a vital role in Pakistan's economy and development. It contributes around 25% to GDP and provides employment to over 40% of the labor force. Agriculture is the primary source of food, raw materials for industries, and key exports like cotton that provide foreign exchange. Different types of soils in Pakistan, including highly fertile Indus basin soils and mountain soils, support agricultural production. Metallic minerals found in Pakistan like copper, chromite, and iron ore have potential for development if explored and quantified properly.
The document provides information on India's agriculture sector. It notes that India has the second largest agricultural land area in the world and favorable climatic conditions. Some key points:
- India is the largest producer of many crops like spices, pulses, milk, tea and the second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits and vegetables.
- Total food grain production reached a record high of 252.68 million tonnes in FY2015 and 253.16 million tonnes in FY2016.
- The government has implemented several schemes to boost agriculture like Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana to improve irrigation and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana to promote organic
Punjab has emerged as a key textiles hub and has a strong agricultural base as the largest wheat and rice producer in India. The state economy is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 10.2% with services contributing the most at 46.7% of GSDP in 2017-18. Punjab aims to increase focus on renewable energy and attract more investment from agriculture and services.
India is the second largest producer of agricultural products in the world. Some key points:
- India produces over 250 million tonnes of food grains annually, making it the largest producer of many crops like spices, pulses, milk, tea and the second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits and vegetables.
- The agriculture sector is a major contributor to India's GDP and employs over half the country's population. However, farm incomes are growing slowly.
- The government has implemented several schemes to boost irrigation, increase crop yields and promote organic farming to achieve its goal of doubling farmer incomes by 2022.
- Major crops include rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables. Production of rice and wheat has been increasing over time
Similar to AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT PUNJAB 2017 (20)
“Pak-Agriculture outlook: Past, Present and Future”Anjum Ali Buttar
Pakistan's agriculture sector faces challenges from water scarcity and climate change. It relies heavily on irrigation but water availability is decreasing due to glacier melt and lower river flows. Climate change is also reducing crop yields and threatening food security. Adaptation measures are needed like new crop varieties, improved irrigation, and water harvesting. Priority research areas include developing climate data, crop modeling, carbon sequestration methods, and assessing climate change impacts on water resources, pests, and crop production. Immediate action and funding for adaptation strategies is critical to minimize the negative impacts of increasing heat, erratic weather, and less irrigation water on Pakistan's agriculture.
WHEAT RESEARCH COORDINATION & DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTANAnjum Ali Buttar
The document summarizes wheat research coordination and development in Pakistan. It discusses wheat production trends, future requirements based on population growth projections, and the yield gap between average national yields and achievable potential yields. It then outlines the wheat ecologies and production shares across different regions. The coordination mechanism brings together national and international partners through PARC. Core activities include variety evaluation and release. Germplasm acquisition from CIMMYT and ICARDA is discussed. Achievements include the release of 148 wheat varieties through national yield trials. Coordinated efforts have led to the evaluation of over 5,000 wheat trials and release of 168 varieties since 1978.
SEED SYSTEM IN PAKISTAN (STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES) Anjum Ali Buttar
This document summarizes Pakistan's seed system and procedures. It provides a brief history of seed legislation in Pakistan since 1976. It describes the key institutions and their roles, including the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department. It outlines the seed certification process, variety registration requirements, and crop variety release system. It also provides data on certified seed availability and production, and summaries of regulations regarding seed imports.
The document discusses rice research and development in Pakistan. It provides statistics on rice production, area, and utilization in Pakistan. It outlines the history of rice breeding in Pakistan since independence, including major varieties released. It describes the zonal rice production areas and highlights advances in rice breeding, including the development of semi-dwarf and hybrid varieties. The national agricultural research system for rice is coordinated by PARC, with contributions from federal, provincial, and international organizations. Hybrid rice technology was introduced in the 2000s to further increase rice productivity in Pakistan.
ANALYSIS OF PRODUCTION AND AVAILABILITY OF MAJOR VEGETABLES IN PAKISTANAnjum Ali Buttar
This document summarizes statistics and information about major vegetable crops in Pakistan including tomato, onion, garlic, chilli. It provides data on production areas and volumes for each crop by province from 2010-2016. It also outlines supply and consumption cycles for each crop by province. Charts show monthly wholesale price trends for each crop in major cities from 2015-2017. The document concludes with a proposed plan of action to improve the horticulture sector in Pakistan with strategies like establishing a national forum, policy, centers of excellence, dedicated programs and projects, and adopting modern technologies.
Invasive diseases and insects attack crops while invasive plants smother them and can significantly reduce the size and viability of arable land. These invasive plants can make field preparation and ploughing difficult, limit the availability of water for crop irrigation, and stop plants from establishing and growing. Parthenium weed is a biggest problem of agriculture in Punjab and now is spreading to other areas as well. Dr Muhammad Anjum Ali Ex Director General Agriculture (Ext&AR) Punjab highlighted the demerits of this weed and created awareness for its management at critical phases. Now other problems of economic importance like Tomato Leaf Minor (tuta absoluta) and Fall army worm (spodoptera frugiperda) are problems of highly significance for Pakistan. Therefore, National Forum was constituted with its first convener ship with Dr Muhammad Anjum Ali Member PSD-PARC as its first National Coordinator to entice international expertise, identify local resources and create awareness. India has released leaf feeding beetle (Zygogramma bicolorata) and it appearance have been reported in Pakistani side as well. However, keeping in view the availability of bio-agent for maximum period, effort has been made to introduce stem boring weevil (Listronotus setosipennis) on parthenium. This forum has got approval and after completion of in-house evaluation, this agent will be released in Pakistan. In addition sex pheromones have been imported to place on the borders in FATA areas to monitor the movement of Tomato Leaf Minor.
PLANT-WISE PROGRAM IN PAKISTAN. NATIONAL PROGRAM COORDINATOR PLANT WISE PAKISTANAnjum Ali Buttar
The document summarizes the Plantwise program in Pakistan from 2012-2017. It began as a pilot program in 2 districts in 2012 and was consolidated in 2013 by establishing more plant clinics. From 2014-2017 it scaled up significantly across multiple provinces. By 2017 it had over 1300 plant doctors established across Punjab, 400 in Sindh, and 40 in Balochistan. It is now looking to expand further in KP, GB, and other provinces from 2018 onwards, including establishing more e-plant clinics.
HAND BOOK ON AGRICULTURE PESTICIDES 2018 BY DR MUHAMMAD ANJUM ALI Anjum Ali Buttar
This document provides a handbook for agriculture extension agents in Pakistan on pesticides registered in the country. It includes sections on the pesticides registered in Pakistan with their recommended doses and target pests/crops, banned pesticides, good application practices, tips for better crop spraying, safe handling and use of pesticides, product stewardship, first aid measures, and glossaries of crop/pest/pesticide names. The handbook is intended to guide extension agents and farmers on the selection and safe use of pesticides to control pests and ensure crop protection while also caring for human and environmental safety.
PRESENTATION TO BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF PARC ON YEARLY PROGRESS AND PLANS Anjum Ali Buttar
The document provides information on the activities and achievements of the Plant Sciences Division of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council for the yearly progress and plans presentation to the Board of Governors. It discusses the core functions, research projects, institutes under its jurisdiction, activities conducted including germplasm acquisition and testing, coordination meetings, and achievements. It also outlines ongoing activities, targets, and new initiatives for the next three years focusing on strengthening coordinated research, crop diversification, and capacity building.
The document discusses improving Pakistan's seed system. It outlines the importance of seed in agriculture and describes the seed chain, which includes seed legislation, variety development, multiplication, quality control, processing, storage, marketing, agricultural services, policy, and farmer uptake. The Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) plays a lead role in coordinating variety evaluation, research trials, and disease surveillance to support the seed sector and provide quality seed to farmers. The document emphasizes strengthening coordination between stakeholders across the seed system to improve seed availability and agricultural production.
This document provides statistics about agriculture in Pakistan and the province of Punjab. It shows that Punjab produces 70% of Pakistan's national agricultural output and accounts for 50.9 million acres of Pakistan's total agricultural area of 196.7 million acres. It also provides data on seed companies operating in Punjab, including 635 private seed companies and 5 multi-national companies. Additionally, it lists the crop requirements, public sector supply, private sector supply, and imported supply for major crops in Punjab.
The national action plan aims to promote pulse production in Pakistan through several initiatives:
1) A national pulses promotion program to explore subsidies, procurement, and investment in research and development.
2) Importing elite plant varieties from international organizations to develop high-yielding, stress-resistant varieties.
3) Promoting climate-resilient, high-yielding certified seed and replacing old seed varieties.
This document provides information on rice cultivation techniques and varieties in Pakistan. It discusses the botanical classification of rice, the structure of rice plants and seeds, growth stages of rice from germination to ripening, and factors that influence rice yield such as soil selection, variety selection, fertilizer use, and pest management. It also outlines different rice varieties grown in Pakistan's provinces and the soil and climate conditions suitable for rice cultivation. Methods of sowing rice nurseries and transplanting rice are described. Pests that affect rice such as stem borers and plant hoppers are also mentioned.
Policy Framework & Seed Sector Development in PakistanAnjum Ali Buttar
The document discusses Pakistan's ranking in the 2017 Global Food Security Index, challenges facing Pakistan's food security and agriculture sector, and recommendations to improve the country's seed sector and ensure food security. Pakistan ranked 77th out of 113 countries in overall food security. Key issues included low investment in agricultural R&D and lack of transfer of research findings to farmers. The document proposes measures like strengthening seed regulation, promoting underutilized crops, and improving collaboration with international agricultural research organizations.
PRESENTATION FOR NATIONAL ACTION PLAN ON OIL SEEDS Anjum Ali Buttar
- Pakistan is the 3rd largest importer of edible oils in the world, with local production meeting only 14% of domestic demand. Per capita consumption is 11.5kg annually.
- The document proposes the development of a National Oilseeds Policy and Plan to enhance local production of oilseeds like canola and sunflower over the next 10 years through improved research, incentives for farmers, and coordination between public and private sectors.
- Specific recommendations include increasing support for seed development, providing subsidies and credit to farmers, educating consumers, and modernizing Pakistan's oil extraction and processing industry to develop a sustainable domestic edible oils sector.
STATUS OF RICE RESEARCH AND HYBRID DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTANAnjum Ali Buttar
This document summarizes the status of rice research and hybrid development in Pakistan. It provides background on rice production in Pakistan, including major growing areas and varieties. It then discusses the history of rice research and development in Pakistan dating back to 1912, including establishment of research stations and release of new varieties. The document also outlines the history and challenges of hybrid rice development, adoption, and production in Pakistan, noting efforts by both the public and private sectors. It concludes by outlining key strategies to further promote hybrid rice in Pakistan.
This document provides progress briefs on biofortification research and crop development by the organization HarvestPlus. It includes 40 briefs across several sections: Crop Development, Nutrition/Consumer Acceptance, Cost-Effectiveness, and Crop Delivery Experiences. The briefs summarize the status of biofortification research for various crops like rice, wheat, beans and provide details on breeding progress, target micronutrients, nutrition factors, upcoming releases, challenges and highlights.
ROLE OF ZINCATED WHEAT IN REDUCING HUNGER-DR MUHAMMAD ANJUM ALI Anjum Ali Buttar
The document discusses biofortification and the work of HarvestPlus to reduce hidden hunger through developing staple crops with increased micronutrients. It provides details on:
1) HarvestPlus' goal of developing staple crops like wheat, rice, cassava that are naturally high in vitamins and minerals to address micronutrient deficiencies.
2) Clinical trials showing that zinc biofortified wheat increases zinc intake and status of women and children in India and Bangladesh.
3) HarvestPlus' efforts to disseminate biofortified seeds to farmers in over 20 countries and plans to continue strengthening crop varieties and scaling up delivery through partnerships.
This document summarizes the key points from a speech given by Prof M S Swaminathan at the 2nd Global Conference on Biofortification in Kigali, Rwanda. The summary includes:
1) Biofortification was discussed as an important pathway for achieving the goal of rescuing 25 million children from malnutrition by 2016, as part of the UK Prime Minister's initiative.
2) South Asia has an "enigma" where there is extraordinary economic growth but also high levels of child stunting, with 2 out of 5 children stunted in the region.
3) Biofortification can help address all three major dimensions of hunger: calorie deprivation, protein deficiency, and micronutrient deficiency
ESA/ACT Science Coffee: Diego Blas - Gravitational wave detection with orbita...Advanced-Concepts-Team
Presentation in the Science Coffee of the Advanced Concepts Team of the European Space Agency on the 07.06.2024.
Speaker: Diego Blas (IFAE/ICREA)
Title: Gravitational wave detection with orbital motion of Moon and artificial
Abstract:
In this talk I will describe some recent ideas to find gravitational waves from supermassive black holes or of primordial origin by studying their secular effect on the orbital motion of the Moon or satellites that are laser ranged.
(June 12, 2024) Webinar: Development of PET theranostics targeting the molecu...Scintica Instrumentation
Targeting Hsp90 and its pathogen Orthologs with Tethered Inhibitors as a Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategy for cancer and infectious diseases with Dr. Timothy Haystead.
Anti-Universe And Emergent Gravity and the Dark UniverseSérgio Sacani
Recent theoretical progress indicates that spacetime and gravity emerge together from the entanglement structure of an underlying microscopic theory. These ideas are best understood in Anti-de Sitter space, where they rely on the area law for entanglement entropy. The extension to de Sitter space requires taking into account the entropy and temperature associated with the cosmological horizon. Using insights from string theory, black hole physics and quantum information theory we argue that the positive dark energy leads to a thermal volume law contribution to the entropy that overtakes the area law precisely at the cosmological horizon. Due to the competition between area and volume law entanglement the microscopic de Sitter states do not thermalise at sub-Hubble scales: they exhibit memory effects in the form of an entropy displacement caused by matter. The emergent laws of gravity contain an additional ‘dark’ gravitational force describing the ‘elastic’ response due to the entropy displacement. We derive an estimate of the strength of this extra force in terms of the baryonic mass, Newton’s constant and the Hubble acceleration scale a0 = cH0, and provide evidence for the fact that this additional ‘dark gravity force’ explains the observed phenomena in galaxies and clusters currently attributed to dark matter.
Microbial interaction
Microorganisms interacts with each other and can be physically associated with another organisms in a variety of ways.
One organism can be located on the surface of another organism as an ectobiont or located within another organism as endobiont.
Microbial interaction may be positive such as mutualism, proto-cooperation, commensalism or may be negative such as parasitism, predation or competition
Types of microbial interaction
Positive interaction: mutualism, proto-cooperation, commensalism
Negative interaction: Ammensalism (antagonism), parasitism, predation, competition
I. Mutualism:
It is defined as the relationship in which each organism in interaction gets benefits from association. It is an obligatory relationship in which mutualist and host are metabolically dependent on each other.
Mutualistic relationship is very specific where one member of association cannot be replaced by another species.
Mutualism require close physical contact between interacting organisms.
Relationship of mutualism allows organisms to exist in habitat that could not occupied by either species alone.
Mutualistic relationship between organisms allows them to act as a single organism.
Examples of mutualism:
i. Lichens:
Lichens are excellent example of mutualism.
They are the association of specific fungi and certain genus of algae. In lichen, fungal partner is called mycobiont and algal partner is called
II. Syntrophism:
It is an association in which the growth of one organism either depends on or improved by the substrate provided by another organism.
In syntrophism both organism in association gets benefits.
Compound A
Utilized by population 1
Compound B
Utilized by population 2
Compound C
utilized by both Population 1+2
Products
In this theoretical example of syntrophism, population 1 is able to utilize and metabolize compound A, forming compound B but cannot metabolize beyond compound B without co-operation of population 2. Population 2is unable to utilize compound A but it can metabolize compound B forming compound C. Then both population 1 and 2 are able to carry out metabolic reaction which leads to formation of end product that neither population could produce alone.
Examples of syntrophism:
i. Methanogenic ecosystem in sludge digester
Methane produced by methanogenic bacteria depends upon interspecies hydrogen transfer by other fermentative bacteria.
Anaerobic fermentative bacteria generate CO2 and H2 utilizing carbohydrates which is then utilized by methanogenic bacteria (Methanobacter) to produce methane.
ii. Lactobacillus arobinosus and Enterococcus faecalis:
In the minimal media, Lactobacillus arobinosus and Enterococcus faecalis are able to grow together but not alone.
The synergistic relationship between E. faecalis and L. arobinosus occurs in which E. faecalis require folic acid
Evidence of Jet Activity from the Secondary Black Hole in the OJ 287 Binary S...Sérgio Sacani
Wereport the study of a huge optical intraday flare on 2021 November 12 at 2 a.m. UT in the blazar OJ287. In the binary black hole model, it is associated with an impact of the secondary black hole on the accretion disk of the primary. Our multifrequency observing campaign was set up to search for such a signature of the impact based on a prediction made 8 yr earlier. The first I-band results of the flare have already been reported by Kishore et al. (2024). Here we combine these data with our monitoring in the R-band. There is a big change in the R–I spectral index by 1.0 ±0.1 between the normal background and the flare, suggesting a new component of radiation. The polarization variation during the rise of the flare suggests the same. The limits on the source size place it most reasonably in the jet of the secondary BH. We then ask why we have not seen this phenomenon before. We show that OJ287 was never before observed with sufficient sensitivity on the night when the flare should have happened according to the binary model. We also study the probability that this flare is just an oversized example of intraday variability using the Krakow data set of intense monitoring between 2015 and 2023. We find that the occurrence of a flare of this size and rapidity is unlikely. In machine-readable Tables 1 and 2, we give the full orbit-linked historical light curve of OJ287 as well as the dense monitoring sample of Krakow.
PPT on Direct Seeded Rice presented at the three-day 'Training and Validation Workshop on Modules of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Technologies in South Asia' workshop on April 22, 2024.
Immersive Learning That Works: Research Grounding and Paths ForwardLeonel Morgado
We will metaverse into the essence of immersive learning, into its three dimensions and conceptual models. This approach encompasses elements from teaching methodologies to social involvement, through organizational concerns and technologies. Challenging the perception of learning as knowledge transfer, we introduce a 'Uses, Practices & Strategies' model operationalized by the 'Immersive Learning Brain' and ‘Immersion Cube’ frameworks. This approach offers a comprehensive guide through the intricacies of immersive educational experiences and spotlighting research frontiers, along the immersion dimensions of system, narrative, and agency. Our discourse extends to stakeholders beyond the academic sphere, addressing the interests of technologists, instructional designers, and policymakers. We span various contexts, from formal education to organizational transformation to the new horizon of an AI-pervasive society. This keynote aims to unite the iLRN community in a collaborative journey towards a future where immersive learning research and practice coalesce, paving the way for innovative educational research and practice landscapes.
Candidate young stellar objects in the S-cluster: Kinematic analysis of a sub...Sérgio Sacani
Context. The observation of several L-band emission sources in the S cluster has led to a rich discussion of their nature. However, a definitive answer to the classification of the dusty objects requires an explanation for the detection of compact Doppler-shifted Brγ emission. The ionized hydrogen in combination with the observation of mid-infrared L-band continuum emission suggests that most of these sources are embedded in a dusty envelope. These embedded sources are part of the S-cluster, and their relationship to the S-stars is still under debate. To date, the question of the origin of these two populations has been vague, although all explanations favor migration processes for the individual cluster members. Aims. This work revisits the S-cluster and its dusty members orbiting the supermassive black hole SgrA* on bound Keplerian orbits from a kinematic perspective. The aim is to explore the Keplerian parameters for patterns that might imply a nonrandom distribution of the sample. Additionally, various analytical aspects are considered to address the nature of the dusty sources. Methods. Based on the photometric analysis, we estimated the individual H−K and K−L colors for the source sample and compared the results to known cluster members. The classification revealed a noticeable contrast between the S-stars and the dusty sources. To fit the flux-density distribution, we utilized the radiative transfer code HYPERION and implemented a young stellar object Class I model. We obtained the position angle from the Keplerian fit results; additionally, we analyzed the distribution of the inclinations and the longitudes of the ascending node. Results. The colors of the dusty sources suggest a stellar nature consistent with the spectral energy distribution in the near and midinfrared domains. Furthermore, the evaporation timescales of dusty and gaseous clumps in the vicinity of SgrA* are much shorter ( 2yr) than the epochs covered by the observations (≈15yr). In addition to the strong evidence for the stellar classification of the D-sources, we also find a clear disk-like pattern following the arrangements of S-stars proposed in the literature. Furthermore, we find a global intrinsic inclination for all dusty sources of 60 ± 20◦, implying a common formation process. Conclusions. The pattern of the dusty sources manifested in the distribution of the position angles, inclinations, and longitudes of the ascending node strongly suggests two different scenarios: the main-sequence stars and the dusty stellar S-cluster sources share a common formation history or migrated with a similar formation channel in the vicinity of SgrA*. Alternatively, the gravitational influence of SgrA* in combination with a massive perturber, such as a putative intermediate mass black hole in the IRS 13 cluster, forces the dusty objects and S-stars to follow a particular orbital arrangement. Key words. stars: black holes– stars: formation– Galaxy: center– galaxies: star formation
Mending Clothing to Support Sustainable Fashion_CIMaR 2024.pdfSelcen Ozturkcan
Ozturkcan, S., Berndt, A., & Angelakis, A. (2024). Mending clothing to support sustainable fashion. Presented at the 31st Annual Conference by the Consortium for International Marketing Research (CIMaR), 10-13 Jun 2024, University of Gävle, Sweden.
3. 107Punjab Economic Report 2017
3.0 Introduction
The agriculture sector continues to be the mainstay of Punjab’s economy and makes a substantial contribution to
the province’s economic growth and prosperity. The sector, comprising of crops, livestock and dairy, is responsible
for 19.82 percent of the country’s overall GDP and is the largest employer in the country, absorbing 42.3 percent of
the total population1
(Ministry of Finance). It also affords a large share in total export earnings from manufactured
products, such as textiles that constitute 60 percent of the country’s total exports (Pakistan Economic Survey,
2015-16). Due to the agrarian topography of the province and its large rural population (an estimated 68 percent
of Punjab’s population according to the Punjab Development Statistics of 2016) growth in the agriculture sector
is a necessary precursor both for the economic growth in the province and for rural development2
(Bureau of
Statistics Punjab). Punjab’s agriculture sector assumes national strategic importance as well since the surplus
generated in the region is vital for national food security. Even though agriculture has always been crucial to
Punjab’s economy, recent performance of the sector has not been encouraging. Between 2010 and 2015, per
hectare yield of wheat in Punjab has dropped, whereas the yields of rice and cotton have not shown any significant
improvement (Punjab Development Statistics, 2016). As compared to 2014-2015, all crop subsectors in Pakistan
(important crops, other crops and cotton ginning) registered negative growth rates in 2015-2016 whereas the
textile sector, which constitutes majority of the country’s exports, registered a negative growth rate of 8.2 percent
in 2016 as compared to the preceding fiscal year (Pakistan Economic Survey, 2015). This reflects poor performance
in Punjab’s agriculture sector, that had a production share of more than 50 percent in all major crops (with that
of wheat being 76.9 percent and of cotton being 73.6 percent in 2015). The total cropped area in Punjab has also
dropped between 2004-2005 and 2013-2014.
The sector’s lagging performance reflects gaps in production efficiency and the lack of a facilitative agricultural
market. The Government of Punjab is actively involved in multiple initiatives aimed at increasing productivity as well
as production in the sector, such as improvements in seed quality, plant protection and research expansion. In this
chapter, we will specifically examine the Kissan Package, introduced in September 2015, focusing on the benefits
of financial inclusion to productivity in a sector prone to the vagaries of sudden price shocks. SMART agriculture is
another initiative of the Punjab government that intends to use Information Communication Technology (ICT) to
spur innovation and improvements in the agriculture sector.
Improvements in the agriculture sector and rural development go hand in hand; existing backward and forward
linkages in the agriculture sector ensure that promoting growth in the sector has the largest impact on rural
poverty. At the same time, targeting development programs towards the rural population also feeds back into
improved agricultural performance. Rural development, through steps such as provision of public goods and
services, helps increase rural welfare by facilitating income growth and overall accessibility to basic amenities. The
government of Punjab is taking several initiatives, with a special focus on the least developed areas of the region,
to minimize regional disparities and ultimately alleviate poverty. These include the provision of tangible services
such as the provision of clean drinking water through the Clean Drinking Water for All (CDWA) project and the
elimination of sewage ponds from villages. At the same time, the government is also promoting social mobilization
and community led development through expanding the Punjab Rural Support Program.
Chapter 3
Agriculture and Rural Development
1
These statistics have been borrowed from the Pakistan Economic Survey 2015.
Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan, (2015). Pakistan Economic Survey 2015-16.
2
Bureau of Statistics Punjab, Government of the Punjab. (2016). Punjab Development Statistics. Retrieved from https://bos.punjab.gov.pk/system/files/Dev-2016.pdf
4. 108 Punjab Economic Report 2017
In what follows, we will first look at some of the key statistics of the agriculture sector and its performance over
the past decade. We will then move towards a rigorous analysis of the existing efficiency gaps in agriculture where
we estimate an efficiency frontier for all major crops and the actual crop efficiency and performance are discussed
against that benchmark. We will then discuss the current agricultural pricing policy and market reforms proposed
by the government. The chapter will conclude by policy recommendations aimed at strengthening the performance
of the agriculture sector and bolstering rural development.
3.1 Key Statistics of the Agriculture Sector
According to the Punjab Development Statistics of 2016, about 62 percent of the total area of the province is
currently being utilized for agricultural activities, with 53 percent of the area sown and 9 percent fallow. The total
cultivated area in 2013-2014 was 12,667 thousand hectares, a marginal increase from the total cultivated area in
2004-2005 was 12,489 thousand hectares. Punjab bears a large share of the total area cultivated for all major crops
in Pakistan (Figure 1) and contributes more than 50 percent of the total volume produced of all major crops (Figure
2), indicating that reforms aimed at improving Punjab’s agricultural growth are crucial for advancing the country’s
overall agricultural sector performance.
Sargodha leads as the division with the highest degree of land utilization, but there are no substantial differences
in land utilization across divisions, indicating a spatially even usage of land across the province (Figure 3).
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5. 109Punjab Economic Report 2017
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60000
70000
Wheat C on ('000 bales) Rice Sugarcane Maize
ThousandTonnes
Pakistan Punjab
6. 110 Punjab Economic Report 2017
Wheat has the largest share of the total cropped area (about 42 percent), with the next two major crops being rice
and cotton (Figure 6). Whereas agriculture in Punjab is heavily dependent on irrigation, development spending
allocation on irrigation declined by 0.6 percent in 2015-2016 as compared to the last year (Punjab Development
Statistics, 2016). There was also no development funding allocated for tube wells in 2015-2016, even though
almost 73 percent of the irrigated land utilizes some form of tube wells (Figure 7).
8. 112 Punjab Economic Report 2017
3.1.1 Key Trends in the Agriculture Sector
The yields for major crops in Pakistan (and Punjab) tend to be below 50 percent of the progressive farmer yield.
Qualities a Progressive farmers usualy have a history of fixed investments in capital, the capacity and experience
of expanding productive activity, an active engagement with the end-market for produce, and a disposition to
innovation through adopting and responding to technology.
In addition to this, yields for major crops in Punjab lag behind yields for the same crops in comparable countries.
Lowcropyields,amongstotherfactors,hasresultedinPakistangoingfrombeingaleaderinTotalFactorProductivity
growth amongst comparative agricultural countries to lagging behind Bangladesh, India and Vietnam amongst
others.
Wheat Paddy rice Maize Sugarcane Co n Pulses
Yields in t/ha
Punjab 3.2 2.1 2.9 50 2.2 0.8
India 4 3.5 2.9 63.9 1.2
China 4.8 5.5 5.3 70.6 3.5 1.7
Vietnam 6.7 4
Source: , 2016.IFPRI
9. 113Punjab Economic Report 2017
Concurrently, trends show that farm fragmentation has increased, with the percentage of farms with a total
landholding size of less than 2 hectares going up. This appears to have been due to a decrease in the percentage
of farms with a landholding size of 2-5 hectares, 5-10 hectares, 10-20 hectares and 20-60 hectares with no
corresponding increase being registered in large farms (landholding size of 60 hectares or more).
The gross value added of the agriculture sector as a whole and of its subsectors has also not shown any substantial
increase in the past decade, with there being a decrease in value added by crops in the last year.
3
We didn’t find more recent numbers for TFP growth for these countries.
10. 114 Punjab Economic Report 2017
The dismal performance of the agricultural sector exists even though costs of inputs has not increased substantially
over time, due to a large part to input subsidies put in place by the government. Agricultural subsidies add up to
almost $1.4 billion in a year, being 3.5 times as large as the amount allocated to development expenditure on
agriculture. Due to these subsidies, the retail prices of Urea and DAP fertilizers have fallen by 25 percent and 22
percent respectively, from 2015-16 to 2016-17 (Pakistan Economic Survey, 2016-17). In addition to these two
major fertilizers, there is also a decrease in the prices of other fertilizers. The fall in fertilizer prices due to the
impact of government subsidies must have increased fertilizer consumption, or reduced the cost of fertilizers for
farmers at any given level of consumption.
Figures 12-16 below show that there has been a noticeable decline in the cost of pesticides and the cost of water
inputs (including water drawn specifically through tube wells), since there has been no manifest increase in the
cost of fertilizer between 2005-2006 and 2015-2016.
Source: Punjab Regional Accounts Data, 2016.
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
Rupeesinmillion
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
700000
800000
900000
1000000
Crops Co on Ginning Livestock Fishing Forestry Total
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
000N/Tons
Rupeesinmillion
Fe lizer for major crops in Million Rs. Fe lizer for minor crops in Million Rs.
Fertlizer cons on in Punjab in 000N/Tons
Source: Punjab Regional Accounts Data, 2016.
11. 115Punjab Economic Report 2017
The cost of tube well water has also remained constant over the past four years, reflecting fuel price subsidies
provided by the government.4
These government’s subsidies have subsequently either lowered or maintained
input prices for farmers. Even though lack of increase in the cost of water has increased the total area irrigated by
tube wells in Punjab over the same period,expected increases in crop productivity, yield and gross value added
have not materialized.
Source: Punjab Regional Accounts Data, 2016.
Source: Punjab Regional Accounts Data, 2016.
Source: Punjab Regional Accounts Data, 2016.
4
Please note that there was a decrease in diesel price index (2007-08=100) from 257.74 in 2012-13 to 157.60 in 2015-16 and an increase in the price index of electricity from
226.10 in 2012-13 to 293.22 in 2015-16. While the number of electricity generated tubewells witnessed an average annual increase of more than 8% as opposed to only less than
1% increase in the number of diesel generated tubewells. The opposing change in energy prices and increasing number of electricity generated tubewells may be the reason for
the cost of tubewell water remaining constant during the 2012-13 to 2015-16.
12. 116 Punjab Economic Report 2017
In the next section, we look at productivity and efficiency gaps to analyze whether crop production in Punjab is
reaching its efficiency potential.
3.1.2 Minor Crops
Agricultural production in Punjab has increased only by 8 percent in the last six years. This increase has been
mainly attributed to the increased production of major crops, whereas the share of major crops of Punjab has
increased from 58 percent in 2009-10 to 65 percent in 2014-15 (Government of Punjab, 2016). However, minor
crop production share has dropped in the same proportion within the same period.
Minor crops can be categorized based on their perishability. Relatively less perishable commodities can be stored
for a longer time and can help in times of deficits in supplies, thus, facing less price fluctuations. Whereas, the
more perishable items cannot be stored for longer periods and hence the market faces a greater price fluctuations.
These perishable crops are also categorized as cash crops. The major cause of this price fluctuation can be explained
by the Cobweb Cycle. Most farmers do not have perfect information about the future so they generally form their
price expectations about future prices based on the current market prices of these crops. Like any individual, when
farmers see the price of a crop to be high in today’s time period they expect that the price will be high in future
period also, thus, decide to produce that crop in greater amount for the next time period which leads to a surplus
of that crop in the coming period. When there is a surplus in the market, the price of the crop falls below the
expected price of the farmers. Similarly, when the price of a crop is low, farmers form expectations about the price
to be low in the coming period as well and reduce the production of the crop which leads to deficit of the crop
in the coming season and hence a price of the crop increased. This Cobweb cycle of forming price expectations
continues, leading to price instability in the goods market for perishables.
It is generally believed that shifting to cash crop production reduces poverty in the rural economy. Cash crops
are often more perishable and experience more price uncertainty. As a result, farmers growing cash crops are
at higher risk. It is believed that this risk deters the farmers from growing the high-return cash crops. Previously,
when deficits were experienced in the markets, perishable commodities were imported from India which filled
the deficit gap and stabilized the market prices of perishables items. This trade policy resulted significant drop
in domestic supplies mainly through decreased modern tunnel growing in the country. However, recently trade
restrictions were imposed resulting price volatility once again.
Source: Punjab Regional Accounts Data, 2016.
13. 117Punjab Economic Report 2017
The Government’s intervention to stabilize the market prices would be “welfare enhancing” by increasing supplies
of these perishable minor crops. Currently, prices of these commodities are being controlled using the district
administration which is not a sustainable solution. Instead, it is important that the government makes the farmers
more informed about the future outlook on supply/demand and price expectations at macro level. Media and cell
phone awareness campaigns can play an important role in achieving higher welfare levels by getting more stable
market outcomes. Moreover, there is also a need for improved supply chains and modern storage facilities which
will lead to better and longer storage time for these commodities.
3.1.3 Water Issue
Availability of water for irrigation is a major concern in agricultural production in Pakistan and other countries
around the world. Pakistan has one of the largest irrigation systems in the world with more than fifty million acres of
irrigated land, fifty six thousand kilometers of main canals, and more than one million tubewells. Pakistan currently
has only 1050 meters/capita availability of water and is categorized as high-water stress country (Government
of Punjab, 2015a). Furthermore, on average, Pakistan receives 154 MAF of surface water annually from Indus
River and its tributaries, 104.73 MAF is diverted for irrigation from which most of the water flows into the sea
(Government of Punjab, 2015a). In Punjab, more than 75 percent of the arable land is watered directly or indirectly
through canal system. Farmers in Punjab are only being charged an average Rs 135/acre for canal water to irrigate
their farms (Government of Punjab, 2015b). As a result of the current pricing policies of water, most of the farmers
are using flood irrigation technology to irrigate their crops. The use of this inefficient flood irrigation technology
along with the unregulated pumping of ground water is causing rapid depletion of water resources.
Low water charges for canal irrigation, limited water storage capacity, and excessive-use of groundwater are the
major challenges for the policy makers in Pakistan. Therefore, an appropriate pricing strategy for canal water and
regulated extraction of groundwater is required to address the problem of water scarcity and water use efficiency
in the country. An appropriate pricing strategy is needed to motivate the farmers in using water more sensibly to
help improve allocative efficiency in water use. Moreover, with the introduction of improved technology such as
sprinkle and drip irrigation systems, farmers can use less water in a more productive way. Also, an improved water
reservoir system is required in the country.
Government of Punjab (2015a), “Punjab Sector Developmental Plan 2014-2024 Drinking Water, Sanitation and
Hygiene”, Planning and Development Department , Government of Punjab, Lahore
Government of Punjab (2015b), “Punjab Agriculture Sector Plan 2015”, Agriculture Department, Government of
Punjab, Lahore
3.2 Productivity and technical efficiency analysis and capacity gaps
This section will analyze and account for productivity and yield gaps in Punjab since the year 2007, and highlight
the factors responsible for performance dips in the agriculture sector. The framework of analysis for calculating
yield gaps shall be similar to the one by Avila and Evenson (2010)5
and adopted in the previous report, in which
three types of yield gaps shall be identified and calculated for different commodities (Evila & Evenson). The
empirical framework employed in this report involves a stochastic production frontier first introduced by Aigner et
al. (1977)6
and Meeusen and Van den Broeck (1977)7
, which postulates the existence of technical inefficiency in
5
Avila, A. F. D., & Evenson, R. E. (2010). Total factor productivity growth in agriculture: the role of technological capital. Handbook of agricultural economics, 4, 3769-3822.
6
Aigner, D., Lovell, C. K., & Schmidt, P. (1977). Formulation and estimation of stochastic frontier production function models. journal of Econometrics, 6(1), 21-37.
7
Meeusen, W., & van Den Broeck, J. (1977). Efficiency estimation from Cobb-Douglas production functions with composed error. International economic review, 435-444.
14. 118 Punjab Economic Report 2017
the production process. This approach uses the concept of a frontier that depicts the maximum output obtainable
from given inputs, where technical inefficiency of a farm is estimated by deviations from the frontier.
The empirical framework employed estimates a stochastic production frontier that captures technical inefficiencies
during the production process by farms. This framework was introduced by Aigner et al. (1977) and Meeusen and
Van den Broeck (1977) and has been widely used in literature since then (Kumbhakar et al. (1991)8
, Battese and
Coelli (1995)9
, Hallam and Machado (1996)10
, Sherlund et al. (2002)11
, Mbaga et al. (2003)12
, Kompas and Che
(2006)13
.
3.2.1 Estimation Strategy
Let us assume that the crop production technology be represented as a function:
Yi = f (Xi, β) evi-ui
Where Y is the output of crop per acre on the ith farm, Xi is the vector of inputs and β is the vector of parameters
estimated as a result of running this model. The stochastic error term is decomposed into two parts: v and u. The
former represents random variation in output due to factors that are exogenous to the farm whereas the latter, a
positive random variable, captures farm specific inefficiency reflecting the gap between the farm’s actual output
and the potentially realizable efficient output. This means that if u=0, then the farm is producing at the frontier and
is achieving the maximum level of efficiency.
A two-stage procedure is adopted to carry out this estimation. In the first stage, the farm-specific stochastic frontier
is estimated. Subsequently, in the second stage, technical inefficiency (X-inefficiency) effects are regressed on a
vector of efficiency determinants as well as on farm characteristics that can potentially affect the inefficiency of a
farm.
We do this simultaneously using the FRONTIER Software and follow the model of technical inefficiency effects for
cross sectional data introduced by Battese and Coelli (1993, 1995).
The technical inefficiency effects are assumed to be a linear function of explanatory variables given by:
In sum, Y is the crop output or yield obtained from a farm in per acre terms, X represents the inputs employed in the
production of that output (these can be continuous or dummy variables), U represents the technical inefficiency,
Z represents variables that are potential determinants of inefficiency and ε is an unobservable random variable
obtained by the truncation of normal distribution with mean zero and variance σ2
.
9
Battese, G. E., & Coelli, T. J. (1995). A model for technical inefficiency effects in a stochastic frontier production function for panel data. Empirical economics, 20(2), 325-332.
10
Hallam, D., & Machado, F. (1996). Efficiency analysis with panel data: A study of Portuguese dairy farms. European review of agricultural economics, 23(1), 79-93.
11
Sherlund, S. M., Barrett, C. B., & Adesina, A. A. (2002). Smallholder technical efficiency controlling for environmental production conditions. Journal of development economics,
69(1), 85-101.
12
Mbaga, M. D., Romain, R., Larue, B., & Lebel, L. (2003). Assessing technical efficiency of Quebec dairy farms. Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne
d’agroéconomie, 51(1), 121-137.
13
Kompas, T., & Che, T. N. (2006). Technology choice and efficiency on Australian dairy farms. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 50(1), 65-83.
8
Kumbhakar, S. C., & Hjalmarsson, L. (1991). Estimation of technical efficiency and technical progress free from farm-specified effects: an application to Swedish dairy farms.
Memorandum-Department of Economics, Gothenburg University, School of Economics and Legal Science (Sweden).
15. 119Punjab Economic Report 2017
The input vector, X, includes the same variables for each crop. These include the (log of) quantity of seed, urea,
DAP, other fertilizer, and the number of times water is given to the crop. We further include three dummy inputs:
whether or not pesticide/weedicide sprays were applied, whether or not the crop was affected by a disease
attack and whether or not gobber (cow dung) was used as a fertilizer. In the second stage, district and farm level
characteristics were included as determinants of inefficiency. These variables, captured by vector Z, include dummy
variables for seed type (home and certified), soil type (chikny, sandy and kalrathy), treatment of seed (treated and
untreated), and the mode of irrigation (canal, tube well, mix and nil) for each district. In addition, district level
control variables such as the number of reported crimes, the literacy rate and road density are also included in the
model.
The results indicate that Gujranwala was the most efficient in wheat production in 2013, Pakpattan was the most
efficient in 2014, Sheikhupura was the most efficient in 2015 and Lodhran was the most efficient in 2016. On the
other hand, Khushab was the least efficient in 2013, 2014 and 2016 (Chapter Appendix, Table 1).
In cotton production, results show that Rajanpur was the most efficient in both 2013 and 2014, while during 2016
Bhawalnagar was the most efficient, followed closely by Rajanpur and Vehari. Meanwhile, Chiniot was the least
efficient in 2014 and 2015, and Bhakkar was least efficient in 2016 (Chapter Appendix, Table 2).
For sugarcane production, DG Khan was most efficient in 2014, whereas Rahim Yar Khan was most efficient in 2015
as well as in 2016. On the other hand, Khushab was least efficient in 2014, Sialkot was the least efficient in 2015
and Narowal was the least efficient in 2016 (Chapter Appendix, Table 3).
Meanwhile, for rice production, DG Khan was the most efficient for all three years, whereas Mianwali was least
efficient in 2014, Jhelum in 2015, and Gujrat in 2016 (Chapter Appendix, Table 4).
Lastly, for maize production, Jhelum was the most efficient in 2014 and 2015 whereas Okara assumed this position
in 2016. On the other hand, Islamabad was least efficient in 2014, Multan in 2015 and Rawalpindi in 2016 (Appendix,
Table 5).
3.2.2 Is Production Efficient?
In addition to the district rankings presented in the Chapter Appendix that detail which areas were the most and
least efficient in terms of crop production, it is also interesting to understand the overall trends in efficiency and
the gaps from the potential efficiency frontier.
For all major crops, efficiency figures have not improved significantly in the past couple of years and on average,
they hover around 80 percent. Maize has the highest production efficiency at 82 percent whereas cotton production
is the least efficient (of the five major crops discussed) at 62 percent. The production efficiency for both rice and
wheat in 2016 was 79 percent, whereas it was 72 percent for sugarcane.
These figures exhibit that farmers were unable to utilize the full potential of the inputs made available to them.
There are three kinds of productivity gaps that exist:
• Gap between the production frontier (unrealized potential output) and the realized output;
• Gap between realized output in Punjab and that in comparable regions. Figure 9 shows that wheat, rice,
16. 120 Punjab Economic Report 2017
cotton, sugarcane and maize yields in Pakistan are all lower than crop yields in India, China and Vietnam.
Pakistan has also had a lower Total Factor Productivity growth compared to Bangladesh, India, China and
Vietnam between 2002-2011;
• Gap between production and progressive farmer yields (Figure 8). Yields in Pakistan are reaching only 50
percent of the progressive farmer yields (based on best farmer practices).
These efficiency gaps can be attributed to input mix distortions created by the changes in input prices. Low prices of
nitrogen-based fertilizers, for example, discourage farmers from using phosphate and potassium-based fertilizers:
instead of using the mix that would be most efficient for production, they use the mix as directed by input pricing.
Subsequently, crop production does not take place at the frontier because the given resources are not being
utilized in the best possible combination.
Although inefficiency estimates indicate that there is still some room for improvement, these efficiency figures are
not alarming. For almost all crops, production is occurring at 80 percent of the potential. This indicates that further
improvements in the agricultural sector would also require a shifting out of the production frontier itself: the
determinants of this frontier would include improvements in input quality which include better seeds and better
availability of water and fertilizer. These improvements cannot come only from agricultural subsidies that have
resulted in low input costs, but from investments in agricultural innovation and integrated markets. In particular,
directed efforts at improving research and development are necessary to push out the production frontier. With
improved variety of seeds and other inputs, and with the employment of progressive farming practices based on
efficient input combinations, it is possible to increase productivity and TFP growth in the future.
18. 122 Punjab Economic Report 2017
In the next section, we will review the current agricultural pricing policy and speak more about facilitative markets
that are required to spur growth in Punjab’s agriculture sector.
3.3 Agriculture Pricing Policy, Integrated Markets and Financial Inclusion
TheagriculturesectorholdsstrategicimportanceforthegovernmentofPakistansinceitmustmaintainfoodsecurity
while satisfying the urban consumer. This has resulted in the food price dilemma, whereby commodity prices need
to be high enough to incentivize production but low at the retail end to subsidize the urban consumer. Agricultural
price controls are also intended to safeguard the farmers against sudden movements in international commodity
prices; in order to do this, the government maintains the procurement price of wheat14
within a preannounced
band, only partially transferring the effect of international prices to the domestic farmer and consumer.
Intervention in the wheat market occurs through the setting of a domestic procurement price. The timing of the
procurement price and its discrepancy from the international price are crucial for determining how the local
market adjusts. It is important that the wheat price is announced before the wheat crop is sown to effect supply;
in 2008, government announced price increases too late for it to have any effect on the year’s harvest of wheat.
Furthermore, historically, the procurement price of wheat has been set below the international price (particularly
during the 2007-2008 food crisis, when a shortage in the international wheat crop caused international wheat
prices to skyrocket). This discrepancy induces further distortions in the domestic wheat market by encouraging
farmers to hoard their wheat supplies or to illegally export them to Afghanistan. The shortage resulting from large
quantities of wheat export leads to price increases in the domestic market and has a considerable impact on food
price inflation.
After the food crisis of 2007-2008 passed, the government of Pakistan continued to maintain a high procurement
price for wheat, which was significantly higher than the international price; in January 2012, this was about $325/
tonne compared to the international price of $275/tonne. The positive price discrepancy encouraged wheat
imports and effected sales of domestic produce.
Other than price support, both the provincial and federal governments are deeply involved in the procurement,
handling and storage of wheat.
14
The government no longer interferes in the market of rice, either through setting prices or through government procurement.
19. 123Punjab Economic Report 2017
Table 1 lists the main government agencies responsible for wheat procurement in Pakistan. In addition to this,
provincial agencies also partake in the procurement and storage of wheat. In April 2017, Punjab’s cabinet approved
the wheat procurement policy for the year. The government has set a target of purchasing 4 million metric ton
wheat at the rate of Rs 1,300 per 40kg. This evidence supports the continued active intervention of the government
in wheat and other commodity markets in the agriculture sector.
The government is the main buyer of almost two-thirds of farmers’ wheat production (they retain about one-third
of their production for seed and household food consumption) with wheat procurement volumes often reaching
25 percent to 30 percent of total wheat production (Prikhodko and Zrilyi, 2013)15
. This high procurement volume is
driven predominantly by concerns for food security, due to which government procurement may also reach up to
50 percent of marketed wheat. This high level of state procurement of wheat leaves little room for private sector
trade and investment in the post- harvest supply chain.
In 2010/11, estimated monetary losses incurred by government-operated wheat procurement and storage
totalled PKR 3,750/tonne (approximately USD 44/tonne), or about 13 percent of the total costs. Assuming that the
government purchases 6 - 7 million tonnes of wheat per year, losses from government procurement operations
can reach PKR 23 - 26 billion (USD 248 to 289 million) per year (Prikhodko and Zrilyi, 2013).
Wheat procurement is financed largely by commercial banks that do not see lending to the government for
procurement purposes as a risky enterprise, since the loans are backed by governmental guarantee. United Bank,
National Bank, Muslim Commercial Bank, Habib Bank and Allien Bank (the top five financiers) decreased their
total share of commodity financing from 85 percent in June 2009 to 75 percent in September 2011. The Food
Department of the Government of Punjab borrows 37 percent to 48 percent of all the credit required for financing
commodity purchases. The Government of Punjab is followed by PASSCO, TCP and the Food Department of Sindh
as other leading government borrowers (Prikhodko and Zrilyi, 2013). High interest rates constitute a significant
cost item in government wheat procurement, adding 11 percent (PKR 3,279/tonne) to the costs of purchasing
wheat. To reduce government losses to zero, the government either needs to reduce the procurement price by
about 16 percent or to increase its release price by 15 percent.
Punjab’s total wheat production in 2014-2015 was at about 19 million tones (Punjab Development Statistics,
2015)16
, compared to the potential of 32 million to 38 million tones according to FAO estimates based on attainable
yields of irrigated wheat in high-input farming systems in specific agro-ecological zones (Prikhodko and Zrilyi, 2013).
This lagging performance indicates that improving yields requires not only a focus on better input practices, but
also on liberalizing markets and encouraging public private partnerships.
The following outline proposed steps that the government of Punjab can take to create conducive markets in
agriculture, particularly in the case of wheat:
• Existing private grain elevators being utilized for other commodities may also be utilized for wheat, with
the government offering long-term contracts for elevator utilization;
• Use of flexible wheat storage options like silo bags until more permanent storage options can be
constructed and utilized;
• Innovative approaches for collateralized lending mechanisms could help expand post-harvest financing
for producers, traders, processors and other agribusinesses (Baldwin, Bryla and Langenbucher, 2006).
15
Prikodhko, Dmitry and Zrilyi, Oleksandra. (2013). “Review of the Wheat Sector and Grain Storage Issues,” FAO and World Bank Cooperative Program.
16
Bureau of Statistics Punjab, Government of the Punjab. (2015). Punjab Development Statistics. Retrieved from https://bos.punjab.gov.pk/system/files/Dev-2015.pdf
20. 124 Punjab Economic Report 2017
3.3.1 Wheat Marketing and Engaging the Private Sector
Ensuring profitability for the private sector in the market for wheat procurement and storage depends on high
post-harvest prices. In a paper on wheat marketing, Burki and Khan (2005)17
build an intra-year pricing model of
wheat, assuming that wheat (a soft commodity) can only be stored intra-year and not across years. The model
develops an arbitrage condition, according to which private market profitability is positive only if the expected
post-harvest price of wheat is higher than the sum of the opportunity cost of money committed to buying wheat
at harvest time and the cost of storing wheat. More formally,
Simply put, the equation above indicates that expected post-harvest price must be greater than or equal to the
sum of harvest price of wheat; per unit opportunity cost of committing money for wheat storage; and per unit
storage cost. If we assume that the entry and exit in the storage market is free then the equality condition will hold
in the arbitrage equation above.
For the expected post-harvest price to be high, it is necessary that the government does not fix low release prices
(often lower than the import price). Price controls work as a disincentive for private storage firms to step in and
bear the cost of storage. Although annual quotas have been introduced for wheat storage, these quotas alone do
not ensure private market profitability in grain storage.
This arbitrage condition has the following implications for government policy:
• Government policies should not be announced in haste. Due to the absence of a second player, private
marketing firms made abnormal profits in the early reform period which had an adverse effect on food
security. Ideally, competition among private firms should bring abnormal profits to zero – this will ensure
that the engagement of the private sector lowers government costs of procurement, while safe guarding
government’s objective of food security;
• Selling of strategic reserves at subsidized price serves as a major disincentive to flour mills to enter in the
private storage market. Therefore, the government needs to gradually increase the release price relative
to the procurement price so that the incentives are present for millers to stay in the storage demand;
• Ban on intra- and inter-provincial movement of wheat conflicts with the dual objective of food security
and farm income stabilization. This policy goes against the interests of wheat farmers because excess
supply in wheat surplus provinces pushes harvest price down. Such a policy is also harmful for the
interests of consumers in wheat deficit provinces as it pushes price upward.
3.3.2 Price Distortions and its effect on Crop Choice
Price distortions also influence crop choice and diversification, due to their effect on returns to family labor. The
calculation of returns or profits in agriculture adjust the conventional profit equation for the transfer earnings of a
farmer. Whereas conventionally, profits are calculated as:
π = TR – TC
17
Burki, Abid and Khan, Mushtaq. (2005). “Wheat Marketing Reforms: Marketing Margins and Food Security in Pakistan,” Paper presented in South Asia Regional Conference of
International Association of Agricultural Economists and IFPRI.
21. 125Punjab Economic Report 2017
i.e. the difference between total revenue and total cost, for our calculation, returns to family farms, RFF, shall be
defined as follows:
RFF = TR – TVC – R
Where TR is total revenue, TVC is total variable cost and R denotes opportunity cost on fixed capital (or transfer
earnings).Theequationaboveappreciatesthatfarmers’profitmaximizingdecision reliesonprofitsbeingcalculated
after including transfer earnings as a cost. Hence, if farmers enjoy profitability, i.e. as long as returns on family
farms are greater than the reservation wage, farmers continue operations. They only quit when returns go below
their reservation wage, regardless of the economic profits being earned in the conventional sense. Tables 6 and 7
in the Chapter Appendix calculate both conventional profits as well as returns to family labour.
Government intervention in price affects returns to farmers, and thereby affects their cropping choice. Maize,
rice and cotton are the major crops that usually register an exportable surplus. The government cannot intervene
with support prices for these crops due to their exportable surpluses as this policy would not be fiscally feasible
for Pakistan. Instead, an alternative short run policy which would be fiscally feasible is to provide targeted input
subsidies. However, due to food security concerns, Government does intervene in the wheat and sugarcane
market with support prices and minimum prices, respectively. When international prices of wheat and sugarcane
fall (as in 2016), domestic prices do not fall as much due to the Government’s support price policy. Farmers,
with a preference for income stabilization, are more inclined to invest in wheat and sugarcane crops, resulting in
significant exportable surpluses even though traditionally these crops do not create any exportable surplus. When
the price offered at harvest is low (due to shifts in international prices) but the cost at sowing is not low, permanent
interventions through support price are not a sustainable solution. Instead, this phenomenon of international price
drops should be addressed by temporary relief including short-term input price policies and targeted subsidies
towards wheat farmers – the Kissan package discussed below is one such example of a targeted subsidy that bases
eligibility based on farmer’s owned acreage.
The tables 6 and 7 (see Chapter Appendix) show a per acre comparison of costs of individual inputs, total costs, total
revenues, returns to family labor, and profits of five major crops in 2005-06, 2015-16, and 2016-17. The costs and
returns in 2005-06 come from a LUMS survey which covered 800 farms representing all farm sizes and all districts
in Punjab. The data in 2015-16 and 2016-17 come from a representative sample of Punjab collected by the Crop
Reporting Department of the government of the Punjab. The data clearly show that the cost of production either
increased or stayed constant during the last ten years while the profitability and returns to family labor generally
declined in the case of maize, rice and cotton between 2005-06 and 2015-16 with a slight recovery in 2016-17. A
more alarming situation was observed for cotton and maize where profitability and returns to family labor were
negative. In the case of wheat and sugarcane, where Government provides price supprts, the profitability has
either increased or stayed constant during this time. These results are quite consistent with our prior expectations.
3.3.3 The Case of Targeted Subsidies - Kissan Package
In September 2016, the government announced a “Kissan Package” intending to lend financial relief to the small
farmer. The relief package is targeted to the poor farmers having 5 acres or less of land, so that they can purchase
quality seeds and manure for increased production. Under the program, cash support amounting to a total of 32
billion is aimed to benefit 1.6 million farmers. The relief would be provided through interest-free loans to poor
farmers for the 2016-2017 rabi and kharif harvests.
22. 126 Punjab Economic Report 2017
During February 2017, the first tranche of funds was to be distributed to eligible farmers but the program found
that it was difficult to identify eligible farmers who were either landless or had small landholdings. This led to a
registration drive which may have beneficial effects in the long-run for rolling out other financial inclusion packages
for small farmers.
Key features of the Kissan package are as follows:
• The loan comprises a five-year-package aimed at facilitating 70 percent new borrowers either having
small holdings or those working as tenants. However, 30 percent of farmers are already availing the
facility but with clean credit history can also apply. Any interest accrued on financing beyond five acres
shall be on the account of the borrower availing the financing facility;
• The government intends to provide Rs. 25,000 per acre for rabi crop and Rs.40,000 per acre for kharif
crop with three installments on seasonal basis;
• After the third year, farmers will pay markup at 4 percent for the third year, 8 percent for the fourth year
and 12 percent for the fifth year;
• The process includes a potential beneficiary approaching a tehsil land record center, where an official
uploads the required documents onto the Punjab Information Technology Board’s (PITB) e-portal. The
documents can then be accessed by two designated government banks: Zarai Taraqiati Bank and National
Bank of Pakistan, and three PFIs: Akhuwat, Tameer Bank and National Rural Support Programme that
analyze the documents and approach the beneficiary for the loan approval process. Once the loan is
approved, the tehsil land record center officials are responsible for uploading land ownership/tenancy
documents onto the e-portal.
The Punjab Government has recently launched a registration drive for small farmers who face difficulties in
accessing tenancy documents from landowners. Considering a previous similar registration drive launched by the
Benazir Income Support Program (BISP)18
, it is encouraging to see that such an initiative will facilitate small farmers
towards financial inclusion. Although the package may be criticized for not being accessible to the poorest of
the poor due to illiteracy concerns, the government’s performance with BISP has shown that such hurdles can
eventually be overcome, leading beneficiaries to enjoy not only from the targeted program but also from other
financial opportunities.
3.4 The 18th Amendment and Agriculture in Punjab
The eighteenth amendment was passed unanimously by the parliament in April 2010, according to which fifteen
ministries from the concurrent Legislative List were devolved to the provinces, with a convergent enhancement in
the province’s fiscal powers. Accordingly, the Food and Agriculture Ministry was also devolved to the provinces,
with the powers of taxing agricultural income also falling under provincial purview. The Punjab provincial
government is now responsible for the rollout of targeted and across-the-board subsidies. Under this new role,
the Punjab government has initiated the Kissan package and has also introduced fertilizer and water subsidies that
have lowered input costs post 2011. The cost of water, the cost of tubewell irrigation and the cost of pesticides are
reduced dramatically post devolution (Figures 13,14 and 15).
The overall production of wheat has risen post 2011, but there have been no significant improvements in total
factor productivity. This points towards the need for the adoption of SMART agriculture, as elaborated below.
18
The Benazir Income Support Program is a federally administered targeted unconditional cash transfer to poor women, begun in 2007-2008.
23. 127Punjab Economic Report 2017
The total level of government intervention in the wheat market has risen post devolution in 2011, with the
total level at USD 754 million in 2012. This high level of intervention creates room for rent seeking, which has
motivated the Punjab government to seek public-private partnerships in the promotion of better agricultural
practices. Liberalization of agricultural markets is foremost in this matter, yet the concern remains muddied as the
devolution did not result in the reallocation of PASSCO (Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation) to
the provincial level.
The subject of seed testing and seed certification has been reallocated from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to
the Ministry of Science and Technology, while PASSCO has been transferred to the Ministry of Commerce and then
moved to the Ministry of Food Security. The Punjab government demanded that the aerial survey should remain
with the department of plant protection, whereas, seed testing and seed certification should be devolved to the
provinces and the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) should also be transferred to
the Punjab government, as food and agriculture fall under the provincial government.
3.5 Agriculture in Punjab and Trade
Almost 80 percent of Pakistan’s total exports originate from agriculture directly and indirectly through forward
linkagestoagro-basedindustries(e.g.,textiles),withPunjab’sshareinitatalmost60percent.19
In2014-15,Pakistan’s
major exports include cotton manufactures (54.9 percent), leather and leather manufactures (5.1 percent) and
rice (8.8 percent). During 2015-2016, exports within the food group declined by 11.6 percent, with rice exports
declining by 12.3 percent in value despite an increase in total production volume of almost 7.6 percent.20
Partially,
this drop in export volume can be attributed to the drop in world demand during the same period. However, there
has also been a drop in export shares with specific countries, such as with China, whose export share has dropped
from 10 percent in 2014 to 8 percent in 2016, while the import share from China has improved from 17 percent in
2014 to 27 percent in 2016. The food group also constitutes about 12 percent of the total import bill.
An important caveat in Punjab’s agricultural sector performance is the lack of investment in the value addition
of commodities. Valdes (2013) suggests that introducing an incentive framework, which emphasizes that trade
and price policies can direct the allocation of land, labor and water to higher valued uses by altering returns on
infrastructure and other investments. The government’s historical intervention in the pricing, procurement and
storage of agricultural commodities, along with the presence of import tariffs on input commodities result in
negative effective rates of protection, reducing the incentive to shift towards high value-added production.
During the past two decades, the crop sub-sector has declined from 65 percent in 1990-1991 of agricultural value
added to 42 percent in 2010-2011. Livestock’s share has increased from 30 percent to 55.1 percent over the same
period (Valdes, 2013)21
. The growth rate of the agricultural sector has declined, with a noticeable decline in the crop
sub-sector despite high international prices. This low growth may in part be due to the government’s distortionary
trade regime. A process of trade liberalization was started by the government in 1996, which by 2003 resulted in
the elimination of quantitative restrictions and government procurement of commodities, as well as a lower of
tariffs. However, in 2006, exemptions were reintroduced, particularly for specific commodities including wheat,
sugarcane and rice. Along with these exemptions, Statutory Regulatory Orders (SROs) were also introduced, that
could be used to create exemptions (sometimes full) for some tariffs and to increase others (Valdes, 2013).
19
Agriculture Department, Government of Punjab, 2016.
20
Pakistan Economic Survey, 2015-2016.
21
Valdés, A. (2013). Agriculture Trade and Price Policy in Pakistan. Policy Paper Series on Pakistan PK, 17, 12
24. 128 Punjab Economic Report 2017
Pakistan’s current agricultural trade policy is deliberately complicated and includes a combination of the following
six basic types of taxes:
1. The Customs Duty (CD), the standard tariff assessed on an import’s Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF)
value;
2. A Regulatory Duty (RD), a special Federal Government border tax, which is applicable to the CIF value,
applicable in some cases to exports;
3. The Federal Excise Duty, FED, and the Special FED on CIF value;
4. The Provincial Excise Duty (PED) on CIF value;
5. The Sales Tax (ST) on the duty paid value;
6. The Withholding Tax (WHT) on duty and the sales tax paid value.
These complicated taxes often result in negative effective rates of protection for the farmers, harming their farm
income. In order to improve the sector’s export competitiveness and growth, the following policy changes are
recommended:
• Move towards a simplified, uniform low tariff, with the sales tax also applied uniformly to both imports
and domestically produced goods. Provincially levied taxes should also not discriminate between foreign
and domestic goods.
• Evaluate the feasibility of a varying tariff pegged to the moving average of international commodity
prices. This could be an alternate measure to stockholding of commodities which will likewise safeguard
farmers from sudden changes in world prices.
• Evaluate the feasibility of gradually phasing out the fertilizer subsidy which poses a large fiscal cost in
addition to driving negative effective rates of protection.
• Remove quantitative restrictions on exports (although in some cases these restrictions may help in value
addition by decreasing input cost for downstream industries).
3.5.1 Future Opportunities for Trade in Agriculture: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a collaboration of infrastructure projects being constructed in Pakistan,
with the objective of developing an economic land belt along the original Silk Road route. It includes provisions
for cooperation in the agriculture sector, including cooperation in management of water resources, livestock, and
other fields of agriculture. This presents a unique opportunity for Punjab, not only to benefit from investments in
agricultural infrastructure, but also to exploit the potential for trade with China.
The current Long-Term Plan for cooperation in agriculture includes the following focused areas:
• Planting and Breeding: Agricultural modernization along the corridor; guiding agricultural mechanization
and scale production; demonstration projects in Punjab of improved varieties to improve productivity;
• Agricultural Products Processing: Introducing modern agricultural product processing equipment
and facilities; an agricultural industry cluster could be built around Islamabad and Lahore to create a
processing base which satisfies international standards
• Storage and Transportation of Agricultural Products: Warehousing and logistics facilities in Islamabad
and Lahore to form a warehousing and logistics network system connecting cities and covering the area
along the corridor;
25. 129Punjab Economic Report 2017
• Infrastructure Construction: An agricultural mechanization demonstration and leasing center in Punjab to
promote drip irrigation under plastic film and other water-saving agricultural techniques, and protected
cultivation for the development of facility agriculture;
• Epidemic disease prevention and control: A plant and animal disease prevention and control system
should be established in Faisalabad and Lahore to reinforce R&D in view of the current cotton leaf roll
virus and other plant viral diseases.
While CPEC focuses on the infrastructural development and technological exchange, Punjab government has three
overriding objectives: to develop enhanced productivity, encourage farmer-centric service delivery and foster
private-sector led growth. These objectives can be met by pushing the sector to exploit trade opportunities with
China, a country that has about $1 trillion of food consumption and has surpassed USA in becoming the largest
food importer in the world (International Growth Center, 2017). Figure 18, below shows that the world is already
making use of this opportunity by having increased their food exports to China in the recent years. Agricultural
and food imports, however, have a major limiting factor: that of distance. Pakistan can benefit from its location
by exploiting the distance advantage, particularly in the export of food and agricultural commodities. The top six
categories of Pakistan’s exports to China in 2015 were all sourced in agriculture, with the highest value of exports
being in cereals, followed by beverages, spirits and vinegar; edible fruit and nuts or citrus fruit; lac, gum, resins and
other vegetable extracts; residue from food industries including prepared animal fodder. Even though Pakistan’s
structure of trade with China is heavily dependent on agriculture, there have been a few missed opportunities.
Figure 18: China Agricultural Imports by supplying country: 2000-13
26. 130 Punjab Economic Report 2017
Pakistan’s rice exports to China rose in 2012, but have since then petered off, even though there was an increase
in world exports between 2012 and 2014.
Pakistan exported a large quantity of its total world export of sugar to China till 2011, with the quantities
exported to China matching those exported to the rest of the world, but since then exports to China have
27. 131Punjab Economic Report 2017
fallen far behind the rest of the world’s exports. This is due to the large volume of sugar exports being directed to
Afghanistan, often through export leakages. It is estimated that almost 90% of Pakistan’s total sugar exports are to
Afghanistan.
Pakistan citrus exports to China grew in 2011-2012 but have been negligible since then, indicating a huge window
for trade, particularly since China imports $266.89 million worth of citrus fruit from the rest of the world, with only
$0.01 million from Pakistan (International Growth Center, 2017).
28. 132 Punjab Economic Report 2017
The case for guavas and mangoes is similar, with exports to China falling off after 2012. Again, China imports almost
$260.01 million worth of guavas, mangoes and mangosteens from the rest of the world and only $0.01 million in
this category from Pakistan. Pakistan’s total exports in this category are almost $184 million, UAE being its largest
export partner.
The government of Punjab can leverage the opportunities presented by CPEC by focusing on the following areas:
• Examining and negotiating existing tariff structures with China, and ensuring that they are at least at par
with those faced by other countries and trade associations such as ASEAN;
• Evaluating non-tariff barriers including Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) requirements imposed on goods
sourced in Pakistan;
• Addressing existing market distortions that adversely affect both the volume and direction of trade and
encouraging market based reforms in the agriculture sector;
• Using CPEC cooperation and technical expertise to improve infrastructure networks, particularly those
focusing on irrigation, water supply and post-harvest storage and marketing;
• Institutionalizing public-private partnerships, especially in the area of post-harvest storage, handling and
marketing;
• Incentivizing exports through informational interventions (an alternate to direct price and quantity-based
interventions).
3.5.2 Meeting WTO Standards
The alleged excessive use of pesticides has obstructed Pakistani agricultural products from being exported to
destination countries since they do not meet hygiene standards stipulated by the WTO. This category of restrictions,
labeled Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures pose a significant challenge for Punjab’s agricultural exports.
While quality accreditation bodies exist in the country, it is necessary to synchronize their quality control measures
with those expected by the WTO. According to Mustafa and Ahmad (2003)22
, “effectively targeted and appropriate
technical assistance and greater regional co-operation between Pakistan and other developing countries in South
Asia should be accorded priority in these initiatives” (see Table below).
22
Mustafa, Khalid and Ahmad, Sarfaraz. (2003). “Barriers against Agricultural Exports from Pakistan: The Role of WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement,” The Pakistan Devel-
opment Review, 42:4. pp 487-510.
29. 133Punjab Economic Report 2017
3.5.3 Memorandum of Understanding with USAID
According to recent newsletter from Punjab Board of Investment and Technology (PBIT), the government signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with USAID with a focus towords promoting Punjab as a desirable destination for
investment in agriculture. The objective of the MoU is to encourage investment and job creation in the Livestock,
Dairy and Horticulture subsectors, while stimulating the business environment in the province that can also
overcome challenges in trade. This will be carried out through the USAID funded Punjab Enabling Environment
Project which is a five year, $15 million project.
With its focus on forging public-private partnerships and illuminating trade and investment areas for both domestic
and international investors, the project can be helpful in developing trade with China via CPEC. With all efforts now
promoting market-based reforms instead of interventionist policies, it can be hoped that a less distortionary trade
regime will emerge for Punjab’s agricultural sector.
3.6 Climate Change and Agriculture in Punjab:
ExtremetemperaturesandachangingglobalclimatehaveseriousimplicationsforthefutureofagricultureinPunjab.
Changing climate affects both cropping patterns as well as crop productivity through changes in temperatures and
precipitation levels. A recent study by Siddiqui et al (2012)23
finds that the impact of climate change is statistically
significant (over crop productivity and climate data for Punjab from 1980-2008) and that it differs by type of
crop, by the cropping stage and by district. The study’s estimates show that increasing temperatures have a non-
negative impact on wheat production, but have a negative impact on the production of rice, cotton and sugarcane.
In most cases, increase in temperature has a positive impact on production up till a certain optimal temperature
23
Siddiqui, Rehana; Samad, Ghulam; Nasir, Muhammad and Jalil, Hafiz Hanzla. (2012) “The Impact of Climate Change on Major Agricultural Crops: Evidence from Punjab, Paki-
stan,” Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
30. 134 Punjab Economic Report 2017
(27 degrees Celsius in the case of rice), after which the impact turns negative. Furthermore, precipitation’s impact
on the production of rice is almost negligible since most rice agriculture in Pakistan is supported by irrigation. The
optimal precipitations for the first two stages of wheat production are 111 mm and 84.50 mm respectively. That
is, beyond these optimal limits, further precipitation will adversely affect plant fruition. Both precipitation and
temperature levels do not influence the wheat crop in the third stage. In the case of cotton, the results indicate
that a one-degree centigrade deviation of temperature from the maximum required level (which is 32 degrees
Celsius) during the whole period, reduces the production of cotton by 42.33 thousand bales. Similarly, a one-
millimeter deviation of precipitation from the maximum required level (which 40 mm) reduces the production of
cotton by 0.50 thousand bales. This is a significant loss in the production of cotton due to change in the climate
variables. For sugarcane, the most important and vulnerable stage is third or vegetative stage of production, when
an initial increase in temperature causes increase in productivity which may be possibly the optimal temperature
ranged from 28-38 degrees Celsius in this stage.
A more recent study finds that maximum temperatures adversely affect wheat production, while the effect of
minimum temperature is positive and significant for all crops. Rainfall effect towards the yield of a selected crop
is negative, except for wheat. To cope with and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, there is a need for
the development of heat- and drought-resistant high-yielding varieties to ensure food security in the country.24
Although these studies have their statistical limitations, they have shown that climate change has real and adverse
implications for the future of agriculture in Punjab. The government’s continued efforts in collecting better climate-
related data and crop data can assist better studies to estimate the impact of climatic changes. Subsequently,
awareness about these climatic patterns and the changes that they may require in cropping patterns, seed type
and quality as well as irrigation practices, should be communicated to farmers. Subsidies such as the “Kissan
package”, may be made contingent on the farmers attending information sessions where such knowledge is made
accessible. Another concern is the impact of agriculture itself, on climate: deforestation for agriculture and the use
of methane and nitrate fertilizers may lead to further environmental degradation and worsening temperatures.
Fertilizer subsidy policies and farmer usage should also be informed by its subsequent climatic impact.
3.7 Livestock and Dairy Sector
The livestock sector contributes around 12 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP) and about 56.3 percent
to agricultural value added of Pakistan (Burki and Khan, 2016)25
. Gross value addition of the livestock sector has
increased from Rs.778 billion in 2013-14 to Rs.801 billion in 2014-15, which translates to 3 percent in the value
added of the livestock sector. Punjab’s share in the total number of Pakistan’s livestock is substantial; almost 54.8
percent of Pakistan’s cattle and 68.3 percent of the country’s buffaloes are accounted for by Punjab. About 45.5
percent of all households in Punjab own some form of livestock as an asset, and this percentage rises to 62.5
percent for rural households in the province (Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey for Punjab, 2014)26
. Small, non-
corporate dairy producers who earn incomes on a daily or weekly basis, dominate the livestock sector.
24
Ali, Sajjad; Liu, Ying; Ishaq, Muhammad; Shah, Tariq; Abdullah, Asir Ilyas and Izhar Ud Din (2017) “Climate Change and Its Impact on the Yield of Major Food Crops: Evidence
from Pakistan,” Foods, 6(39).
25
Burki, A., & Khan, M. (2016). Pakistan’s Dairy Sector: Lessons from the Past to Build a Resilient Dairy Industry.
26
Bureau of Statistics, Government of The Punjab. (2014). The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) Punjab. Retrieved from http://bos.gop.pk/mics2014
31. 135Punjab Economic Report 2017
Compared to 2000, Punjab experienced a growth in the number of all types of livestock, with inter-census growth
rates of cattle at 54 percent, cattle at 22 percent and goats at 27 percent.
This growth rate was experienced across the entire province, with almost all divisions experiencing growth rates
for cattle and goats.
32. 136 Punjab Economic Report 2017
Within the dairy sector, there have been structural shifts towards smaller farms who sell their produce through
informal channels rather than to the milk processing industry. A survey of dairy households in rural Punjab,
conducted by the Lahore University of Management Sciences in 2005 and then in 2014 shows that there is an
increase in the number of small farms (under 5 acres).
33. 137Punjab Economic Report 2017
At the same time, selling milk to the milk processing industry has been a popular choice 10 years ago, but this
pattern has changed since dairy farms who sell milk to the milk processing industry has declined by 14 percentage
points over the two survey rounds, which should be a matter of concern for the processing industry (Burki and
Khan, 2016). Despite growth in the number of livestock, per animal productivity has not increased by much. Due
to the lack of a recent livestock census (the last one was conducted in 2006), productivity measures are dated.
However, the LUMS survey (2014) further documents that returns to small farms have dropped and that incentives
to sell to milk processing industries have dropped significantly.
The poultry sub-sector in Punjab is small but has suffered some set backs in recent years, mostly due to increase
in costs of maintenance and power shortages. Around 2009, the industry experienced incredible growth in
response to a 20 percent increase in demand for Pakistani poultry at home and in Afghanistan. Modern farming
techniques have been employed, including environmentally controlled houses. However, a government ban on
exporting poultry to Afghanistan in 2010 resulted in the shutting down of poultry farms, with the total number
declining from 25,000 to 22,500 in Punjab. High prices of poultry feed, electricity shortages and the inability to
combat widespread poultry diseases have discouraged farmers from diversifying into this sub-sector. There is very
little value addition in the industry. Most poultry are slaughtered in open and unhygienic markets. Other areas
for expansion include frozen poultry, already exported to Pakistan’s neighbors from France and Brazil; however,
Pakistan’s cost structure makes the industry uncompetitive, regionally and globally.27
Currently, the Punjab Government is focusing on the following objectives for its livestock sector28
(Planning and
27
USAID (2009). Pakistan’s Food and Agricultural Systems. http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pnado507.pdf
28
http://www.pndpunjab.gov.pk/system/files/ADP%202014-15%20LIVESTOCK.pdf
34. 138 Punjab Economic Report 2017
Development Department, Government of Punjab, 2017):
• Promote per animal productivity rather than increasing livestock numbers by appropriate measures to
improve the genetic potential;
• Encourage the livestock farmers, to adopt improved methods of animal husbandry by demonstrating
greater efficiency and better returns as compared to traditional methods;
• Divert focus to enhance the quantity and nutritional quality of feed and fodder supplies and its processing;
• Transforming of livestock business from subsistence to the commercial venture;
• Reformulate regulatory regime to attract private investment; and
• Involve community organizations and joint ventures with foreign investors in the field of livestock
production.
The government is currently undertaking the following strategic interventions:
• Rural growth and poverty reduction through enhanced production and marketing of livestock products
in Layyah, Mianwali, Khushab and Bhakkar;
• Restructuring and re-organization of breeding services;
• Exploration of biogas energy resources at livestock farms in holistic manner.
In 2015-2016, the Punjab Government allocated 1.79 percent of its annual development program fund towards
the livestock sector, which was a 2.6 percent decline from the previous year. It is evident that the Government
focuses more on the crop sub-sector than on livestock and dairy. With the increase in demand for milk and milk
products and the potential for export offered by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Punjab Government
should focus on strengthening farmer-to-market linkages and on ensuring a steady flow of supply from farmers to
the milk processing industries.
3.8 Land Record Computerization - LRMIS
The maintenance of land records in Punjab was historically managed by the Board of Revenue, responsible for
the collection of taxes on land. Land records were kept in cloth bags by patwaris, who were the lowest-level
administrative tax officers in the province. Any restructuring of land, sales or rental process had to be whetted
by the patwaris, a label that has almost become synonymous with corruption. In addition to corruption, making
land rights secure and easily transferable is crucial for expanding land markets in the province. Lack of access to
land records, tenants’ insecurity, disputes over land rights and an unequal distribution of land have been crucial
hindrances to rural and agricultural development in Punjab. Further, the long-winded process of accessing land
records through patwaris, which could take as long as two months and several bribes, has also isolated women
from their rightful share of land holdings. Unfair divisions of land in inheritance has disadvantaged women who
were unable to privately access land records.
The Land Records Management Information System (LRMIS), launched in March 2016, is a landmark project of the
government of the Punjab that has transferred the cloth-based records to a digital system, making them accessible
to owners at a small fee. The Project has been rolled out in all 36 districts of Punjab and has successfully tested
linkages between the land records system and the deeds registration system. It has successfully reduced transaction
time from 2 months to around 45 minutes, with land record services now being provided on an automated basis
through 150 Tehsil Centers. While the Board of Revenue provides direction to the implementation of LRMIS at the
provincial level, local district level data is being collected through the establishment of about 150 Arazi Record
35. 139Punjab Economic Report 2017
Centers. For data validity and completion, scanned images of village maps (masawi) are available in the database
in the service center to identify the piece of land. At the same time, all records are also available with the patwari
whose help can still be summoned before approaching the service center.
In Punjab, the LRMIS will help tackle the high transaction costs and difficulties associated with the previous system
of land records, that imposed significant harm to land owners (particularly the poor who had smaller land holdings
and less access to information). This made them especially vulnerable to the predatory behavior of middlemen and
affected the liquidity of family assets as a whole. Obstructions in recording and transferring land, which is also a
form of capital, affected the potential income that could be generated from that land through rent, cultivation, sale
or access to credit. Well-defined land rights are crucial for productive development and factor market functioning.
They also have significant empowering effects, particularly for women to whom the succession law can now be
easily applied. The Arazi Record Centers also have reserved areas to service women and senior citizens; these are
operated by female staff and are therefore contributing to women’s participation in the workforce.
As a whole, LRMIS is not only an initiative to digitize land records, but also an example of a technology based
intervention that can directly address social exclusion and women integration. With the one-year transition phase
of the project almost complete, it can be hoped that the patwari culture and its attendant corruption will decline
in the future. A recent agreement of the Punjab government with the Bank of Punjab to open a counter in the
service centers will further improve LRMIS.
3.9 Rural Development in Punjab
The road to economic development for a province like Punjab, where around 68 percent of the population is
classified as living in rural areas, depends on policies focused on rural development. The agriculture sector, defined
broadly to include the crop, livestock, forestry and fisheries subsectors, employs almost 51 percent of the rural
workforce in Punjab; therefore, policies focused on raising farm incomes have a direct impact on rural incomes.
Further, rural development also encompasses increasing these areas’ accessibility to urban centers, reducing their
need to travel out of town for necessities including health and education, improving their infrastructure through
the provision of electricity and gas while expanding opportunities for non-farm employment.
3.9.1 Rural Development Indicators
Educational attainment continues to be a challenge for rural Punjab, with an estimated 54.6 percent of people
being literate compared to 62 percent in urban areas. Less than half of all females in rural areas are literate (44.6
percent) while around 65 percent of all males have obtained some form of education. It is important to note
here, that not only are these numbers estimates based off the 1998 census figures, they also mask the quality of
education provided in rural areas. Simple literacy ratios are insufficient to compare the gradations of educational
attainment present in the province, with rural areas losing out due to single teacher and ghost schools, which
suffer from unstable attendance and functionality. The primary school Net Attendance Rate in rural areas was 54
percent in 2014, compared to 68 percent for urban areas of Punjab (Punjab MICS, 2014).
Health institutions in rural areas have not registered any significant improvement, with Rural Health Centers
increasing only marginally from 337 in 2012 to 350 in 2015, and the number of Basic Health Units decreasing by 36
units between 2012 and 2015 (Punjab Development Statistics, 2016). Child mortality indicators are heavily skewed
in rural areas, with under-5 mortality rate at 105 per 1,000 births compared to 69 per 1,000 births in urban areas
36. 140 Punjab Economic Report 2017
and infant mortality rate at 83 per 1,000 births compared to 57 per 1,000 births in urban areas.
The agriculture sector provides the largest source of employment in the rural areas. However, skewed ownership
structures have limited income generation opportunities for rural workers. Only 41.1 percent of rural households
exhibit any form of land ownership (this does not comment upon the actual size of the landholding), and 62.5
percent of the households own livestock. According to the Agriculture Census of 2010, 68 percent of owned farms
in Punjab have an area of 5 acres or less and 75 percent of owner cum tenant farms have an area of 12.5 acres or
less.
Households that identify as non-agricultural, comprise 50 percent of all rural households in Punjab, with 27.5
percent of the agricultural households being mainly livestock households and 72.5 percent being farm households.
Non-agricultural labor is an important source of income for rural households, with 33 percent of all rural households
citing it as a source of income. This is true both for agricultural and non-agricultural households; nearly 27 percent
of agricultural households draw income from non-agricultural labor. The largest proportion of non-agricultural
households (38.7 percent) cite non-agricultural labor as a source of income.
Rural area development should be two-pronged: focusing on improving the existing infrastructure thereby
facilitating the current structure of the sector to generate higher incomes and diversifying the sources of income
available to the rural sector by investing in education and non-farm related production activities.
3.9.2 Key Policy Initiatives and the Provision of Public Goods
The Punjab Rural Support Program (PRSP), initiated by the Government of Punjab, uses a community-led approach
to poverty alleviation in the province. Community driven development programs, encourage group mobilization
and active participation by community members to improve their wellbeing. Social mobilization is incentivized
through the provision of skills, the need to provide social capital for credit creation, and the introduction of voting
to choose local capital and public works projects. Such a process is meant to better identify local level priorities
and sustain a process of diversified growth of economic, human and natural resources at both the household and
the village level.
Currently, the PRSP is running initiatives focused on health, education and access to credit. For their primary
and reproductive health initiative, they have partnered with the Punjab Poverty Alleviation Fund for up-scaling
and increasing the number of basic health units and paramedical staff. Their education initiative builds on
community partnership: they received an Rs. 81 million development grant from the Education Department to
set up 300 Community Primary Schools. These schools are intended to be run by Village Education Committees
composed of village members responsible for the administration and financial handling of school accounts. Their
second education initiative provides support for public schools whereby management of public schools has been
transferred to NGOs for better functioning. The PRSP is also co-running an interest-free loan program to provide
access to credit for the rural poor; this program is also run in collaboration with the Punjab Poverty Alleviation
Fund.
Other initiatives being undertaken by Local Government and Community Development in Punjab include:
• Elimination of sewage ponds from villages;
• Establishment of Cattle Market Management Companies to improve the livestock trading environment
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and to discourage extortion and corruption. Nine companies in each division have been established; and
• Clean Drinking Water for All initiative whereby 307 water filtration plants have been installed;
• Khadim-e-Punjab Rural Roads program.
3.9.3 Addressing Rural Poverty and the Way Forward
Evidence-based research has shown that community led development has a significant impact on household level
development indicators; the World Bank is engaged in multiple education and health related programs that are
modeledonengagingcommunitymemberstoplayleadershiprolesindevelopmentinitiatives.However,addressing
rural poverty requires more than just community engagement. To facilitate the functioning of agricultural and
non-agricultural land and labor markets, the government needs to initiate market reforms while investing in
infrastructural projects.
Market reforms should include reforms to restructure land ownership amongst the poor since small landholdings
and exploitative tenancy contracts are amongst the proximate determinants of household level rural poverty. There
is also a need to develop infrastructure that generates a demand for non-agricultural labour. Diversifying away from
agricultural livelihoods allows rural households to guard against sudden income shocks that are a hallmark of the
agriculture sector, to achieve year-around employment opportunities and to acquire skills more pertinent to value-
added production. The development of infrastructure has taken a strong hit, particularly from the energy shortage
in the province that has set back previous efforts to improve rural electrification. Farm to market road mileage in
Punjab has only increased by 6.2 percent between 2004-2005 and 2014-2015. The development of these roads is
important for ensuring satisfactory transportation of agricultural commodities including fresh produce.
Improving educational attainment, provision of health services, construction of infrastructure and the involvement
of the community in spearheading these development initiatives, is necessary to push forward an impactful
provincial rural development strategy. Whereas agricultural pricing policies and reforms pertinent to farm
households are crucial, it is also necessary to focus on developing markets for non-agricultural labor to effectively
tackle rural poverty in Punjab.
3.10 Next Steps: Towards Agricultural Innovation and SMART Agriculture
ThePunjabGrowthStrategyaimsforinclusivedevelopment,encouragingtheagriculturesectortoadoptinformation
communication technology (ICT) for farmer-centric service delivery, enhance productivity and promote private
sector led growth. The paradigm shifts that comprise Punjab’s vision are highlighted in the table below:
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Initiatives that the government has undertaken to push the agriculture sector in this direction include the
farmer-targeted subsidies through the Kissan card, encouragement of the private sector to participate in wheat
procurement by announcing that wheat procurement will be brought down to 1 million tones from 5 million tones
and encouraging the use of ICT based solutions by floating interest-free loans to poor farmers disbursed through
an online portal.
Short term fixes that have been proposed under the Asian Development Bank’s Formulation Strategy 2017-2018
include:
• Completion, consolidation & operationalization of key projects;
• Increasing focus on PPPs with government investments acting as a catalyst;
• Special Development Programme targeted towards the poorest districts;
• Enhance focus on private sector development & regulatory reform;
• Increased focus on population issues, income generation & skills;
• Innovation & research to inform service delivery projects;
• Stronger alignment to attain Sustainable Development Goal commitments; and
• Bring discipline to the ADP process – departmental performance management and project prioritization
matrix.
Given the sector’s yield and productivity performance, it appears that input subsidies that have significantly
brought down input costs have not substantially improved either crop yield or crop acreage. Instead, innovative
solutions focusing on engaging the farmers and facilitating private markets are needed. It is encouraging that the
roll-out of BISP (although not directly related to agriculture but targeting a large rural population in Pakistan) has
already introduced a technologically diverse system of financial inclusion. The introduction of the Kissan package
and the Kissan card will further the same inclusion, bridging the gap between commercial banks and credit starved
farmers. It will also induce competition that might introduce competitive loan rates even when the Kissan package
is rolled back later.
Figure 27 above shows that agricultural loans disbursed by the five big commercial banks have registered a
substantial increase compared to only a slight increase in loans disbursed by the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd. This trend
indicates the increasing importance of the private market in bolstering Punjab’s agriculture sector.
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It is important to note that Punjab’s economic climate is still marked by security challenges. Improving public private
partnerships in the context of a security state can be undertaken with the government acting as a middleman. This
is the case in the introduction of cash grant and loan programs like BISP and the Kissan package as they reduce
the risk for commercial banks by pitting the government as a guarantor. At the same time, development is not an
objective for commercial banks which may lead to errors in disbursement (as the government disburses to the
bank with the bank disbursing to the beneficiary). While the use of technology for registration, identification and
authentication will slowly become a default requirement in a security state like Pakistan, steps need to be taken to
ensure that poor and illiterate farmers are adequately educated to fully utilize these programs.
An increasingly liberal market structure, a cap on commodity prices and financial inclusion for farmers are the
steps needed to push crop yields towards the efficiency frontier and to push the frontier to new limits.