Pakistan's broken system leaves farmers behind as costs soar, output falls
Lahore, September 6
Pakistan's agricultural sector is facing a deepening crisis as farmers struggle with soaring production costs, declining competitiveness and what Pakistan Kisan Ittehad President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar described as fundamental failures in governance. Speaking at a National Policy Dialogue on the creation of new provinces at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Khokhar called for urgent structural reforms, as reported by Samaa TV.
According to Samaa TV, Khokhar said Pakistan possessed extensive natural and geographic advantages but had failed to convert them into sustainable economic and agricultural development.
He pointed to the country's coastline, fertile plains, rivers, forests, minerals and diverse climate, arguing that the principal deficiency was an ineffective system of governance. Khokhar stated that without major reforms, Pakistan would continue to face a governance crisis while farmers would remain under increasing financial pressure.
Khokhar, who said he had been farming since 1992 and primarily cultivated cotton, highlighted the sharp decline in Pakistan's cotton production.
He said Pakistan's output had now fallen to roughly 5.5 million bales. Khokhar attributed the deterioration largely to policy and institutional failures. He said farmers were increasingly unable to manage basic household expenses, including education and healthcare.
He also recalled his previous cooperation with Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, claiming that their efforts had once helped double cotton production within a year before relations between farmers and authorities worsened.
Khokhar further claimed that Pakistan's agricultural deficit had reached around USD 6 billion, as highlighted by Samaa TV.
He criticised high input costs, saying Pakistani farmers were unable to compete with producers in other countries.
He compared fertiliser prices, claiming DAP cost around PKR 17,500 in Pakistan, while urea was around PKR 4,600 locally.
He also cited substantially higher electricity costs for Pakistani farmers,according to Samaa TV.
— ANI
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