Low productivity

According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the agricultural productivity in Pakistan remained low as compared to other regional countries which have managed to increase the output of four major crops significantly during the last 50 years. Statistical data revealed that per hectare productivity in Pakistan is low as compared to Bangladesh, India and China, although in the 1960s the wheat yield per hectare was much higher than China and Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) and slightly lower than India.
All regional countries have increased their wheat yield on a much higher pace than Pakistan. This poor performance of the agriculture sector is not limited to wheat but performance has remained pathetic in other major crops sown in Pakistan as well. Farmers need high yielding, certified seeds, pure pesticides and fertilisers. Also, by providing laser levels to farmers, the government can reduce water needs of all crops by 30 percent and increase average yield by 15 to 20 percent. The country has the best irrigation system in the world but investment in agriculture remained dismally low compared to other regional economies. Farmers are pampered in India and China through facilities and subsidies while in Pakistan they are left at the mercy of nature. Investment in the agriculture sector would definitely reduce poverty in the country.
Khan Faraz
Peshawar