THE NEXT GENERATION FARMERS IN SINDH-PAKISTAN

THE NEXT GENERATION FARMERS IN SINDH-PAKISTAN

The province of Sindh in Pakistan lying between 23°40’ and 28°30’N and 66°40’ and 71°10’E has subtropical climate, having 100-550 chill units and 3700-4500 heat units. The Pakistan economy depend upon agriculture. At the time of independence in 1947, agriculture was the dominating sector contributing 53% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In 1987, forty years after the formation of Pakistan, it contributed only 26% of GDP, still providing employment of more than 50% of country’s total labour force. Agriculture and agro-based exports account for 80% of country’s total export earnings. Almost 70% of country’s population is confined to rural areas. Based on agriculture.

In Sindh 14.0 million acres are under crops. Due to green revolution and over use of synthetic chemicals like, fertilisers, insecticide, pesticide, fungicides and weedicides, our soil, air environment and underground water is polluted. While with the time the cultivated land is reduced due to water logging, salinity, drought and shortage of water, all the crops are badly effected by over-exhaustion of soil, pollution in the environment, drought, water logging and salinity. So we get only 1/3rd of total production compared to developed countries. Our population increased many fold in the past fifty years as a result per person is less than 0.5 acres. It cannot keep people employed. As a result the new generation is completed to go and work in the cities and abandon the ancestral profession of farming.

As the time passes the old agricultural process, practices are not feasible with new hybrid or genetically evolved crops, integrated pest management, old cultural practices to enhance the soil ability needed which more man power. The old traditions are diminishing. The new generation is no more interested or dependent upon the climatic variations. So they want secured jobs in the cities.

In Pakistan Agriculture Commodities rate are fixed as compared to the price of wheat. The Government artificially creates poverty in the rural areas by fixing wheat price too low so the urban industries gets cheap labour. The low price wheat as fixed by the government is the root cause of poverty. As a consequence of low prices farmers have no money to spent on inputs and this results into low yield. The farmer are burdened with more and more loan and at the end are compelled to sell the land. This situation in the rural areas of Sindh force the farmer to sent their children to the cities, as a labourers and are not able to send them schools for education. This way the family tradition and culture of farming is never passed to the next generation, it is lost forever.

In Sindh Agriculture Departments and Agriculture Extension are very weak. Because these department selections is not done on merit, instead they are appointed by favouritism. As a result of that farmer training projects in Sindh are non-existent.

In Sindh the farmers do not get enough money to make both hands meet and are not able to provide a education to children and instead in young age they are sent to the cities as labourers to reduce family burden. When these children absorb in cities they feel insulted to tell others that their families to farming communities. Due to absence of labours in the rural areas farmers enters to tanents and share croppers, who always cheat and in some of the time they illegally occupied the land and do many mischievous things including kidnapping.Many land owners are compel to sell land to and wash their hand off from ancestor business.

Conclusion.

Unless government change its price policies, this situation is difficult to revert. At the same time government should hire in agriculture department and Agriculture Extension staff on merit and they must visit the farmers to provide them guidance. Production loans should be provided on easily access basis. The law and order situation in the rural areas should be improved. The solution lies that government should allow private industries, universities, firms, and coaching institutes to come forward, control and improve agricultural sector in the rural areas of Sindh Pakistan.

Author: Farzana Panhwar (Mrs)
Address: 157-C, Unit No.2, Latifabad, Hyderabad
(Sindh), Pakistan.
E-mail: farzanapanhwar@hotmail.com
Farzanapanhwar@yahoo.com
Fax: 92-21-5830826 and 92-221-860410