Global warming and food production
The population of the world has soared to 7 billion and the advanced countries have developed their agricultural produce in accordance with the rise in world population and entertain no fear of food shortage but the underdeveloped countries have failed to develop their agriculture and ,therefore, still depend on other countries with surplus food items. Though globally availability of grain is satisfactory but in the far flung parts of the world food is short and there is no coordination in supply and demand.
Pakistan is one of the backward countries in land produce. Our per acre yield is too low compared to many average countries and we have badly failed to develop our land produce. Because of this poor wheat production we cannot feed the increasing population. We have also failed to control our birth rate to reasonable size. The flood disasters have driven us to the brink of hunger. We have also to feed the refugees residing in our country as well as those who are sitting inside Afghanistan but expect us to feed them. The new Afghan government has got poor economy but has other options as well as it has borders with Turkmanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan which can also provide wheat to that country easily as their borders touch and land route s available so they can import from Russia either, but Pakistan cannot do that for the unstable political situation in Afghanistan or due to our relations with India. Iran has also not very high wheat production which is nearest to us to buy wheat at lower cost.
We have to take a long route to reach Ukrain or Russia via Suez Canal, Mediterranean and the Black sea and that is costly. It is ill luck that we have got two negative thinking neighbours who remain busy in intrigues against us and our economy.
In spite of the fact that we have wide agricultural lands and good water supply system our political leadership has failed to make the country self sufficient in food grains and other food items. It is a misery that our agricultural technology is not efficient. We buy farming machines from other countries and lose hard currency. By this stage of our history we should have been self sufficient in land produce- wheat, vegetables as simple as onions and tomatoes, in horticulture like bananas, grapes, dates, cherries beside cereals.
Importing pulses at high prices is a matter of sham for a country with great potential of farm lands. Fertilizers are expensive and this sector has been neglected to date and our politicians are fighting for their personal interests instead of working together for the economic uplift of the country. It is a crying need of the day to attend to the economic issues of the country but unfortunately the politicians are dancing in the hands of hidden forces and forgotten the real problems of the country.
They have been used to begging loans like beggers on the streets and that way does not lead to a bright future. The political parties have no economic plans- greater revolutionary plans- to fix the economy and therefore, don’t have popular attraction for the price soar-hit and down ridden people. The game they are playing is dirty and no dirty thing is ever liked.
Prof. Rahmat Karim Baig
