LIMS: Agriculture reforms in Pakistan

 

LIMS: Agriculture reforms in Pakistan

 Govt, Pakistan Army to promote modern agriculture to meet food needs of growing population. Officials say establishment of LIMS is first exceptional initiative to ensure food security n As part of the scheme, new canals will be built to store floodwater.

LIMS is the first comprehen­sive government initiative for the development of the agricultur­al sector in the country's history, an official source said. The main objective of LIMS is to reduce do­mestic agricultural imports, in­crease exports and meet the food needs of the growing population.

 

Land Information Manage­ment System will also be helpful in enhancing food security of the country. The establishment of LIMS will provide farmers with simultaneous access to informa­tion on climate change, satellite crop monitoring, water, fertilizer and spray focus areas and direct access to markets.

Under Land Information Man­agement System, it will be pos­sible to increase agricultur­al production by using modern technology on uninhabited and low-yielding agricultural lands This revolutionary institute will work on land, crops, weather, water resources and pest control under one roof.

Proper use of various resources and reserves, modern tech­nology and irrigation system will bring such development in ag­riculture which will meet the shortage of food in every region of the country. Based on information and analytics, it will be eas­ier to identify difficulties, obstacles and challenges, find appro­priate solutions and take informed decisions.

Many projects are being partnered with Saudi Arabia, China, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, which will definitely increase Pakistan’s exports. Moreover, new canals will be built to store floodwater, and modern irrigation techniques like mod­ular drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation and pivot irrigation will be implemented in this regard.

 

Establishment of LIMS is the first exceptional initiative, aimed at enhancing food security and improving agri exports thus reducing import burden on national exchequer by transforming millions of acres of uncultivated/ low yield land within the country. This state-of-the-art system will help opti­mise the agricultural production through innovative technolo­gies and sustainable precision agricultural practices based on agro-ecological potential of land, while ensuring well being of rural communities and preservation of environment. 

The GIS based LIMS will greatly improve the national agri yield by systemizing digitization of agriculture, providing real time information to local farmers about soil, crops, weather, wa­ter resource and pest monitoring through remote sensing and geospatial technologies as well as minimising the role of mid­dlemen through efficient marketing system.

 

Ayub Khan’s  Agriculture Reforms

Moreover, Ayub Khan focused on the long-standing question of land reforms in West Pakistan. It was meant to reduce the power of groups opposing him like the landed aristocracy. The Land Reform Commission was set up in 1958. In 1959, the government imposed a ceiling of 200 hectares of irrigated and 400 hectares of unirrigated land in the West Wing for a single person. In the East Wing, the landholding ceiling was raised from thirty-three hectares to forty-eight hectares. Landholders retained their dominant positions in the social hierarchy and their political influence. Four million hectares of land in West Pakistan were released for public acquisition between 1959 and 1969. It was sold mainly to civil and military officers. It created a new class of farmers having medium-sized holdings. These farms became immensely important for future agricultural development, but the peasants benefited scarcely at all.

 

Furthermore, Ayub Khan adopted an energetic approach toward economic development. It soon bore fruit in a rising rate of economic growth. Ayub Khan period is credited with Green Revolution and economic and industrial growth. Land reform, consolidation of holdings, and strict measures against hoarding were combined with rural credit programs and work programs, higher procurement prices, augmented allocations for agriculture, and, especially, improved seeds put the country on the road to self-sufficiency in food grains. This is popularly known as the Green Revolution. The Export Bonus Vouchers Scheme (1959) and tax incentives stimulated new industrial entrepreneurs and exporters. Bonus vouchers facilitated access to foreign exchange for imports of industrial machinery and raw materials. Tax concessions were offered for investment in less-developed areas. These measures had important consequences in bringing industry to Punjab and gave rise to a new class of small industrialists.