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Farmers plant rice seedlings at paddy fields on the outskirts of Lahore on June 7, 2023. — AFP
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LAHORE: Reacting to Budget 2025-26, representatives of the farmers have raised concerns about the government’s financial management strategy to tackle the challenges arising out of Indian water aggression and climate change on river flow.
This budget has raised concerns about the government’s approach to tackling Indian water aggression and climate challenges for the availability of water among the farmers. “A progressive farmer and water worker Farooq Bajwa said,” The budget has failed to tackle the challenges of climate change or the problem of Indian water aggression affecting the flow of the river, which can already limit the availability of water from imbalance. “
He emphasized that it is very important to add elastic water management methods to the country and to remove concerns about Indian water aggression in order to ensure water safety and sustainable agricultural growth in the country. Since the agriculture sector relies heavily on water, and shortage of crop production and the livelihood of the farmers can severely affect the bread, the government will have to offer a plan to ensure smooth flow of water in Jhelum and Chenab rivers. He warned that “these two rivers are being targeted to India, especially to disrupt the flow of the river”.
Bajwa was also worried about the higher water costs for farmers. With each passing day, farmers have a lot of problems in getting water to irrigate their crops. He observed that the cost of pumping and the revised rate of water for the canal water has damaged the interests of the farmers.
Agri-Forum Chairman Pakistan Ibrahim Mughal strongly condemned the federal government for not making concrete plans to ensure permanent supply of water through the eastern rivers. He said that the government should focus on the construction of the Chennai Dam on the Chenab River to help balance the flow of the river.
The agriculture sector is already facing major obstacles such as inadequate access to water, financing and technical skills, limited adaptation to climate change challenges, and lowering certified seeds and modern technology. It seems that the federal government has ignored all the challenges that have faced the country’s agriculture sector.
The Farmers Board Pakistan emphasized the need to increase investment in the agriculture sector, especially in areas such as mechanization, irrigation reforms and seed standards. “In the upper part of it, flexible water management is needed at this time,” said KBP spokesman Haji Ramadan.
He emphasized that adopting elastic water management strategies and removing Indian water aggression concerns can be very important to ensure water safety and promote sustainable agricultural growth. The budget does not indicate especially the challenges related to climate change that affect the farmers at the grassroots level.
He added that one of the main reasons for weak growth this fiscal is a poor condition of agriculture, which has caused huge damage to the farmers. It seems that the federal government has not paid attention to the important issues facing the agricultural sector, which has led to dissatisfaction with the farmers.
He welcomed the move not to impose GST on agricultural inputs, including fertilizers and pesticides, saying that the government would also have to introduce steps to reduce the cost of production of farmers. A KBP spokesperson also highlighted that farmers suffer a lot of losses due to input costs as they have failed to make a fair profit in their production. Farmers are struggling with increasing costs and high taxes, which seriously affect the overall growth of their livelihood and agriculture sector.
