Assignm

ent
Discuss Ethical issue of Pakistan

Submitted
BY:
Rukhsar
Sarwer

Topic: Discuss 2 ethical issue of Pakistan

The main issue of Pakistan in Agriculture so I will discuss the 2 systematic
issue of agriculture
The economy of Pakistan depends heavily on agriculture. Importance of this sector is
manifold as it feeds people, provides raw material for industry and is the base of our foreign
trade. Foreign exchange earned from merchandise exports is 45% of total exports of Pakistan.
It contributes 26% of GDP and 52% of the total populace is getting its livelihood from it.
67.5% people are living in the rural areas of Pakistan and are directly involved in it. There are
two main crops in Pakistan i.e. Rabi & Khari
Systematic problem in fruit Export and Productivity
ABSENCE of proper infrastructure, low productivity, and a lack of knowledge about postharvest management and modern marketing techniques have resulted in Pakistans inability
to realize export potential of its fruit and vegetable.
The country exports around 10 to 15 per cent of its total fruit output, despite the presence of a
big demand for its fruits in the international market. Meanwhile, some other countries are
known to sell as much as 50 per cent of their total fruit output in the international markets.
As if Pakistans failure to meet the international demand was not enough, it continues to
under price the products it sells by as much as 40 per cent of the global average price.
The resultant losses, both in real and economic terms, mean that the horticulture sector
continues to contribute only 12 per cent to the countrys agricultural output. The lack of
productivity and proper marketing also means that employment opportunities in areas like
quality testing and packaging services never materialize. Even food and agriculture ministry
officials admit that the country cannot make a breakthrough unless export volumes rise from
their 15 per cent level to around 40 per cent of the total production.
According to sources, of the 13.67 million tones of fruits and vegetables that are produced in
the country every year, nearly 25 per cent goes to waste post-harvest season. This wastage is
blamed on the lack of hygiene and absence of quality controls, as well as improper

transporting and cooling facilities, and a lack of know-how of the market potential of the
fruits. Pakistan also lags behind other countries when it comes to marketing packaged fruits.
Some techniques and facilities that are likely to reduce post-harvest losses include updating
storage and packaging facilities across the country, and putting in place adequate and planned
transportation arrangements. An improvement in shelf life of fruits is not only likely to
stabilize their prices in domestic markets, but also make them globally competitive.
The government has also taken some steps to address various infrastructural weaknesses, like
approving the establishment of a cool chain system to ensure that the quality of the produce
does not suffer during transportation. However, their impact can only be gauged once they
completely come online. Also, multinational supermarket chains are increasingly getting
involved in distribution activities, and it does seem that the horticulture sector in the country
is, albeit cautiously, is welcoming the change.
But until these changes are adopted more widely, Pakistan will continue to miss out from
accessing many international markets. Dozens of Pakistani fruits and vegetable shipments
have been rejected by the United States, European Union and Australia over the years,
reportedly due to high pesticide residues on the produce.
A similar case involves the export of fruits and vegetables to Russia, which has emerged as a
problem for Pakistan during the last three years. A Russian team had visited Sindh and Punjab
from November 12 to 18 last year, and inspected potato, mango and orange (kinnow) farms.
They then held a detailed meeting with exporters, and told them to get a certificate from a
private laboratory in Lahore before they send in their shipments to Russia. In the meantime,
the exporters would continue to need phytosanitary certification from the Plant Protection
Department (PPD).
But the requirement was met with derision from the Pakistani side. The chairperson of the
Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association observed that
assigning a single private laboratory for issuing quality certificates would create a monopoly,
and therefore open doors for corruption. Exporters also complained that the lab in question
was not registered with the PPD, and that it would not be possible for just one lab to inspect
thousands of shipments.

However, the Russians had refused to budge, and argued that the lab had the necessary
technical expertise, including molecular testing facilities, which were necessary for thorough
testing.
Pakistan exports around $40 to $50 million worth of oranges, and as much as $40 million
worth of potatoes, to Russia every year. Local exporters warned that due to the additional
testing requirement by Russia, the quantity of exports to the country was likely to suffer.
Meanwhile, exporters who attended the Fruit Logistica, one of the worlds largest fruit and
vegetable exhibitions, in Berlin this February, noted that Pakistan was losing its share in the
orange market in the European Union as well.
They attributed the slide to the excessive number of seeds present in Pakistani fruits.
Consumers in the EU prefer to have as few seeds as possible in their fruits, they said. As a
result, Turkish oranges are increasingly capturing the EU market, because they dont have
that many seeds.
However, neither the government, nor private exporters seem to have taken many measures to
educate farmers to help them produce export-quality fruits and vegetables. The absence of
necessary facilities is only compounding the problem.
Old Methods of Production, No doubt, mechanization of agriculture is increasing in
Pakistan, but in most of the areas, the old implements are still being used for agricultural
production. Old and orthodox techniques of production cannot increase the production
according to international levels. Shortage of irrigation facilities causes a serious
limitation in the expansion of crop area in Pakistan. The lower water supplies, loses from
water course in the fields are the serious problems of farm sector. Actual surface water
availability is 91.8 million acre feet. Water logging and salinity are twin problems of
agricultural sector due to salinity, deposits of salt in land have appeared on the surface of
land and they have adversely affected the performance of agricultural sector. Water
logging and salinity affect about 0.10 million acre of land in every year. It is not only
waste of land but also reduction in productivity.

Reference:
http://www.dawn.com/news/791807/systemic-problems-in-fruit-exports

http://www.pakissan.com/english/issues/challenges.faced.by.pakistan.agriculture.sector.shtm
http://ahsankhaneco.blogspot.com/2012/04/major-problems-of-agricultural-sector.html