Feel the pain of farmers

Agriculture is the backbone of economy. It is a major source of foreign earnings from export of commodities like rice and textile products. With the blessing of Allah, it is a guarantor of food security.

These are the common sentences we hear daily. However, there is no talk about the backbone of agriculture, the farmers. They are the most vulnerable, undermined and exploited segment of society. Farmers are fighting nature-based challenges like climate change. They have to survive the shocks of climate change on their own. It is common knowledge climate change poses several challenges to agriculture, such as floods, droughts, loss of productivity, etc. A plethora of literature suggests agriculture's productivity is declining due to erratic weather and shortening of growing seasons.

Unfortunately, Pakistan falls in a geographical area where the productivity of crops will drop sharply. A study pointed out wheat productivity will decrease by 8-10pc in Pakistan by 2040 due to climate change. Another study predicted worst impacts of climate change will be on wheat and rice (especially basmati rice) in the coming years. It said there would be a decrease of 6pc in wheat yield and a 15-18pc loss in the yield of basmati rice all over Pakistan except northern areas.

Global Change Impact Study Centre also projected due to climate change, crop seasons are shrinking and shifting, which will severely impact crop productivity in the future. Sea intrusion is another problem engulfing Pakistan's productive lands.

Pakistan has faced the worst impacts in Badin, where hundreds of acres of productive land have been lost to sea intrusion. Climate change has also been predicted to introduce new diseases and challenges for agriculture. Imagine a scenario where production is decreasing and population is increasing. What would the state of food insecurity be in Pakistan (58.8pc in 2013-14)?

Against all odds, farmers are surviving and trying their best to ensure food security and provide quality and cheap raw materials for the industry. Unfortunately, after surviving all nature-based hardships, the farmers have to fight bad governance system, anti-farmer policies and insensitive behaviour of society towards them.

Markets, input and output are exploitative in nature for farmers. Big business groups control input markets. They play with markets and alter inputs, like fertilizer with substandard material, pesticides/herbicides with water, etc. Then, they hoard inputs to create a managed shortage and chaos to increase prices. This year, again, they repeated the history and increased the prices of fertilizer. They are doing it with impunity. Farmers were running pole to pole to purchase fertilizer. The government remains silent on the so-called excuse of free market. It is a controlled market not free, an exploitative market, and a heartless one.

On the other hand, at the time of harvest, farmers are forced to sell their commodities at lower prices. The whole machinery comes into action, and the government even does not hesitate to arrest the farmers. The government made another blunder this year by importing sub-quality wheat just before harvest. After the harvest, it refused to buy wheat. It shocked the farming community and allowed the market exploiters to play with farmers’ fate and livelihood. Farmers are searching for buyers and are compelled to sell their commodities at lower prices.

In a nutshell, the government is squeezing the breathing space of farmers, rather killing them bit by bit. Poverty is still very high in the farming community. They are helpless and wandering around. They do not know what to do, as the state is helping big mafias and exploiters. The state must know if the farmers are weakened, it should forget about the country's food security, poverty reduction, industrial development and stability. Pakistan will never be able to achieve the goal of stability. It is a well-established fact a food-insecure state cannot survive, no matter how strong it is.

Instead of solving the problems of farmers, the state has devised a plan for corporate farming. Let's be clear: corporate farming can never be an alternative to the existing agricultural system. It can only help ignite growth but cannot help reduce poverty or food insecurity. The corporate farming is for big companies and landlords. In Pakistan, more than 90pc of farmers have less than 12 acres (64pc have less than 5 acres) and the average farm size is 2.3 hectares. Moreover, 1.25 million farms have less than 1 acre. Thus, the state must rethink and revise its policies and actions for agriculture and farmers.

The state will have to regulate the input and output markets. The market structure must be pro-farmers and farmers must have a say in decision-making and implementation. The price policy should be refined and made agriculture and farmer-friendly. Strengthening agriculture and farmers is critical for moving on the development ladder.

On this front, we can learn from China which reformed agriculture's input and output policies and did land reforms. The state increased the quota prices of different commodities in 1979, especially for grains (20pc), oilseeds (25pc) and cotton (15pc). It encouraged farmers to invest more in agriculture and play a prominent role in pushing agricultural production.

China decreased input prices and erected an environment that enabled use of inputs. The prices of agricultural machinery, fertilizer and pesticides decreased by 10-15pc from 1979 to 1982.

Under rural revitalisation, China is still subsidising agriculture sector. For example, Xinjiang government provides a 40pc subsidy on purchasing agricultural machinery and tools. We can also learn from the US, European Union and many other countries. These are the nations that are heavily subsidising their farmers. European Union allocated €264 billion under the Common Agriculture Policy. From €264 billion, €189.2 billion have been allocated for income support, the direct payments that compensate farmers, and €66 billion for rural development to tackle the challenges of impoverished areas.

It is important to highlight here agriculture is a minor part of national GDP around 1.4pc, but they are still subsidising their agriculture. Pakistan should immediately launch programmes for climate-smart and climate-compatible agriculture.

In conclusion, the state must realise farmers are in pain, bleeding and hopeless. If the state fails to feel their pain, they will be left with no choice but to rebel against the system.

History tells us when farmers rebel, nothing can stop the change, and the most prominent examples are French Revolution and creation of a new China. The state must reform agriculture by keeping farming communities (less than 12 acres) at the heart; otherwise, they must be ready for the worst outcome.