The News | Sunday, October 18, 2009
RAWALPINDI: Participants of the ‘Jang Economic Session’ have opposed the policy to transfer land either on lease or on permanent basis to foreigners on the pretext of corporate farming. They even criticised extending extraordinary and unnecessary facilities to the feudal class. Instead, poverty and unemployment can be controlled through provision of infrastructure and other basic facilities, they viewed.
They referred to the stance of the supporters of corporate farming that standard of life of the labour force could only be improved by providing facilities and information in accordance with the modern requirements. The session on ‘Merits and Demerits of Corporate Farming’ held at Lahore was attended by former federal agriculture minister Sultan Ali Chaudhry, Chief Executive Officer, Farmers Associates Pakistan, Afaq Tivana, Associate Prof LUMS Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Vice President Kisan Board Sarfaraz Ahmad Khan and President Chamber of Agriculture Chaudhry Nasir Cheema. Sikandar Hamid Lodhi hosted the session.
Sultan Ali Chaudhry stated that corporate farming was introduced in the United States because they were short of labour force. However, even there the system had been wrapped. In Pakistan, most of the farmers own less than 12 acres of land and they too deserve facilities being offered under the scheme. He also said that here corporate farming had failed but it had proven successful in India. Chaudhry disclosed that in Pakistan corporate farmers had been granted land on lease for 90 years instead of the previous practice of 50 years. These parties don’t pay but are allowed to take away the entire profit abroad. He called to grant land for corporate farming to local poor peasants, which is destined to produce positive results.
Supporting the corporate farming policy, Afaq Tivana opposed the policy to grant land to foreigners. He said corporate farming also attracts investments because it was industrial farming.
Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Khan called for improving agricultural production and pointed out that research in this sector was the responsibility of the government.
Sarfaraz Ahmad Khan said that 58% of the local farmers owned 5 to 12-1/2 acres of land, 27% owned 12-1/2 acres to 21 acres while 3% owned over 100 acres.
Hundreds of thousands of our people would be rendered jobless by introducing corporate farming, he pointed out. He opposed granting land to foreigners, even to Saudis. He warned that lack of facilities would force the small farmers to migrate to the urban centres where the problems would simply multiply.
