Pakistan’s farmers confront a stubborn productivity gap when benchmarked against global standards, with innovation-lagged agriculture undermining sustainable food buffers and national security. The country imports nearly $10 billion in agricultural and food products while exports hover around $6 billion, underscoring a fragile balance of trade and heightened exposure to external shocks. A comprehensive, innovation-driven agri-reform is essential to scale up output, reduce import dependence, and build resilience against climatic and market volatility. Key measures should include: boosting irrigation efficiency and governance to curb water waste; accelerating access to high-yield seeds, precision agriculture, and input-use optimization; expanding climate-smart farming practices to mitigate risk; strengthening extension services and deploying digital advisory platforms to reach smallholders; improving credit terms, insurance, and risk-sharing mechanisms for farmers; empowering farmer organizations to raise bargaining power and streamline procurement; building robust value chains through processing, storage, and cold-chain infrastructure to capture more value and enhance export competitiveness; and creating an enabling policy environment with targeted subsidies, streamlined regulations, and enhanced public-private partnerships. In my view, the core bottleneck is governance and incentive alignment rather than land or climate constraints. Without transparent subsidy delivery, credible targets, and rigorous monitoring, reforms will stall. Pakistan needs an integrated, time-bound reform program with measurable milestones, data-driven decision-making, and strong private-sector engagement to move from subsistence farming to productivity-led growth. If implemented with political will and prudent fiscal management, these reforms could raise yields, create rural jobs, diversify exports, and strengthen food security against future shocks. — Economist Dr. Khaqan Najeeb
Source: Statement from @PakTVGlobal
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Published: May 22, 2026, 12:14 pm
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