LAHORE: The Agriculture Department has expressed concern over reduction in its annual research budget, recommending the government to give financial and administrative autonomy to agriculture research wing.
“Pakistan ranks 34th position in the world, spending only $2.73 billion on agriculture research, which is 0.33 per cent of its agriculture GDP. India ranks eighth with $36.1 billion spending that is 0.90pc of its Agri-GDP. The United States, China and Japan are top three countries spending $405.3 (2.70pc of GDP), $ 296.8 (1.97pc) and $160.3 (3.67pc), respectively,” says a report prepared by the department recently. The report containing various agriculture challenges/issues has also been shared with the chief minister.
Mentioning gradual reduction in annual research budget of the Ayub Agriculture Research Institution (AARI, Faisalabad), the report says that the department spent 25.57pc of the total allocated budget in the fiscal year 2001-2, followed by 29.52pc of the total budget in 2002-3, 32.56pc in 2003-4, 25.50pc in 2004-5, 22.79pc in 2005-6, 22.28pc in 2006-7, 21.46pc in 2007-8, 18.72pc in 2008-9, 16.25pc in 2009-10, 13.59pc in 2010-11, 14.29pc in 2011-12 and 14.43pc of the total operational budget in 2012-13. Since the report mentions spending of only about Rs1.5 billion in Punjab on agriculture research in the last 12 years, it also exposes the low interest of the government in expanding such an important component of the department.
Terming the ongoing research in agriculture sector as isolated one, the report identifies lack of trained human resource, meagre incentives for researchers, low operational budget, minimal access to modern technology, lack of international linkages among others as main hurdles to the way of expansion of the scope of research, productivity, accessibility and accountability leading to institutional reforms.
The report seeks immediate attention of the government, recommending upgrade of the research institutes, adequate funding, improving key performance indicators, public-private linkages, financial and administrative autonomy, competitive grant system and rewards for high achievers. It also recommends regulation of agriculture education in order to make the department internationally competitive through qualitative and professional work, linkages between agriculture research and extension wings, agri-education reforms, skilled training and short and medium term capacity building programmes. The report seeks eviction of those illegally occupying about 3,400 acres of the state land allocated for carrying out agri-research.
The report urges the government to improve the staffers’ service structure, devolution in the agriculture sector and coordination with the federal government in wake of 18th Amendment.