Agriculture largely ignored

HYDERABAD: While industrialists noted some positive budgetary proposals, leaders of the farming community complained that the agriculture sector was largely ignored. Sindh Chamber of Agriculture Senior Vice President Nabi Bux Sathio said Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb had not given adequate attention to the agriculture sector in his budget speech. “No incentive or noteworthy step is seen in the speech,” he added. He pointed out that Rs4.18 billion had been allocated for research, but without clarity on targeted areas. He said the agriculture sector was increasingly vulnerable to climate change and stressed the need for climate-resilient, high-yield seeds for major crops such as wheat, cotton, rice and sugarcane. He warned that reliance on hybrid seeds in crops like rice, onion and chilli could be unsustainable in the long run. Mr Sathio said even the Rs4.18bn research allocation was insufficient, as the sector required much greater funding. He also referred to Rs7.3bn allocated for cold storage facilities, questioning the nature of such infrastructure and stressing that allocations must be linked to transparent utilisation and accountability. Agri leaders say Rs4.18bn research allocation lacks clarity and is insufficient Ironically, he said, the textile industry was now dependent on imported cotton bales as domestic production had failed to meet demand. He said Pakistan would again spend valuable foreign exchange on importing six to seven million bales due to the lack of revival in local cotton production. Mr Sathio said there was no mention of the livestock sector, despite its significant contribution to agriculture’s share in GDP. He suggested that the Rs7.3bn allocated for cold storage should instead be directed towards the livestock sector to promote milk processing, meat production and exports. Sindh Abadgar Board President Mahmood Nawaz Shah also felt that the agriculture sector had not been given serious attention in the budget speech. He said the agricu