ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Sunday said agriculture is the backbone of the economy, therefore, it should get the attention it deserves.
The agriculture sector contributes around 18 percent to the GDP, employs 42 percent of the total labour force, and constitutes 75 percent of the total exports revenue.
The cost of doing business for the farmers should not be increased to improve share of this critical sector in the national GDP, it said.
It is impossible to ensure national development while keeping agricultural development on the backburner, said Dr Murtaza Mughal, President PEW.
He said that agriculture is no more the largest sector of the economy but it continues to provide jobs to the majority of the labour.
Murtaza Mughal said that growth in this sector has remained unimpressive during the last ten years which proves apathy of the policymakers.
He noted that the high cost of inputs continues to reduce production which has been contributing to poverty in the rural areas.
Circumstances and some policies continue to push farmers to prefer low-cost crops over high-value crops while different packages announced in the past have not helped achieve results.
Pakistan is a notable country in milk production where the number of cattle head is increasing but the productivity of milk, beef and mutton are stagnant which must be noticed.
He said that the livestock sector is very important for poverty reduction, human health, and food security but the majority of four million people engaged in this business are away from the formal economy which has barred their development.
China, Israel, and Brazil have experienced exponential growth in the agriculture sector and Pakistan can learn from their experience to strengthen its own agriculture sector.