Interest free loans be advanced to farmers to bring a green revolution in the Country

MULTAN,March Ist:President of Anjuman Kashtkaran Punjab Peerzada Abdul Ali Zakir Usmani has said that Interest free loans be advanced to farmers to bring a green revolution in the Country. Modern machinery ,hi-bred seed, unadulterated fertilizers and pesticides be supplied on subsidized rates so that farmers could earn at least 10 to 15 billion US dollars per annum by exporting grain, vegetables and fruits Talking to newsmen here on Tuesday Usmani said that a majority of planners, rulers, and all the industrial and trading circles agree that agriculture is the one and only sector that can lift Pakistan’s growth rate in the shortest possible time. He stressed the need for I preparation of a comprehensive Agricultural programme with the consent of small farmers to boost up the Agri-production.He said that agricultural sector in Pakistan has always responded positively to incentives. Incentives result in faster growth and faster growth in agriculture happens also because of the confidence of the stakeholders, i.e. the farmers.Usmani said that crop insurance scheme must be introduced and Agricultural Bank and other banks be forced to get insurance cover when they advance the loan to farmers so that he could be saved in case of calamity from being bankrupted.He further said that Farmer is the good lender which returns the loan but unfair weather, non-availability of water, seed and price hike of fertilizer hit him badly Despite all this, there is a great potential in our agricultural sector to grow faster than before, considerably the farmers’ conditions and the economy.Usmani said that it is fact that across Pakistan, agribusiness is catching up and new models are being developed to reach out to farmers and consumers, with new technologies. More investments are being done in modern supply chains and in organised food retailing, which sells more and more processed food. All this augurs well for this sector.In fact, the trend towards private investment is due to the increasing demand for food and other agricultural commodities. Similarly, with the income level rising, the demand for milk, meat, fruits and vegetables is also increasing. With more urbanisation, many families have opted to use processed, ready-to-eat foods. Pakistan, like India is fast becoming a medium-sized agri-product producer and an exporter/supplier, selling fruits, fish, rice and now wheat to foreign countries. With improved rural infrastructure, the agri-sector will grow rapidly, becoming cost-effective to attract farm produce to the market. Better rural roads, more godowns and cold storages, and improved power supply will result in faster agriculture growth,he added. Peerzada Usmani said If this trend continues and the present electricity crisis is averted and better incentives are provided, Pakistani farmers have the capacity to take on the challenge of producing better quality produce at internationally competitive prices. They are now willing to use new technologies and become better organised.Although the present government has promised to give significant importance to the agricultural sector, in practice, a lot needs to be done and practically implemented. Pakistan’s agriculture still needs to get rid of: