LCCI says move will encourage local farmers to grow more, help save foreign exchange. PHOTO: REUTERS
LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) hailed the announcement made by Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan of not importing tomatoes from India, saying that the move would help local farmers and save foreign exchange for Pakistan.
Currently, Pakistan is faced with a shortage of tomatoes in the domestic market. While imports from India fill the gap each year, the move to bar containers from entering the country from across the border have created a bigger demand-supply gap. Local vendors are currently waiting for Sindh’s produce to reach the market.
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However, the decision, which has led to a massive surge in tomato prices in the domestic market with per-kilo rates hovering around Rs200 in Karachi’s urban areas, was, deemed the “right one” by LCCI President Abdul Basit who said that the country has the resources to feed the population.
“Therefore, local growers should be facilitated to the maximum and their issues should be resolved on a priority basis,” Basit said in a statement issued on Monday. “The government needs to increase the cropped area to avoid any crisis-like situation.
“We cannot afford to stay where we are today in terms of cropped area and per hectare yield because we are already running short of per capita food availability.”
The LCCI said that though almost 43% labour force is dependent upon agriculture, the yield gap in the four major crops of Pakistan is three times compared to the best producers in the world such as China and Egypt.
“Low yield has contributed to poverty in rural areas besides forcing the country to import agriculture produce to feed its population.”
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The LCCI president argued that the fact that China produces two times more cotton and wheat per hectare and Egypt produces around three times more rice and sugarcane per hectare than Pakistan does should be an eye-opener.
“Large-scale introduction of hybrid seeds and mechanised farming, high efficiency irrigation systems such as drip irrigation and reduction in wastage of crop through introduction of privately owned storage facilities and cold storage facilities are recommended to improve the yield,” the LCCI president added.
Referring to the changing dynamic, Basit said this was the age of bio technology and Pakistan has tremendous potential to emerge as a leader in this field. However, the government, private sector and researchers would have to work together to achieve this goal, he added.
He lamented that owing to insufficient utilisation of biotechnology, Pakistan is losing out.
“There are 400 research institutions in the country but their performance is not up to the mark,” the LCCI office-bearers concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th, 2017.
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