Agriculture Economist, World Bank, Pakistan, Hans GP Jansen, has said that in Punjab yield gaps in major crops is hazardously high and yields are 30-50percent low in the neighbouring countries of the region, reasoning that Pakistan is at the bottom of agricultural R&D spending which is lower in South Asia .
Speaking at a seminar on ‘Successful rural development models in Pakistan’ organized by Centre for Rural Economy (CRE) here, the senior agriculture economist said that the agriculture policy practicing in Pakistan became irrelevant due to rapid change of globalization and policy needs to have smart market reform and public investments & incentives.
Hans GP Jansen said that Punjab province has achieved self-sufficiency in wheat which is a major achievement but the agriculture productivity is poor, and yield gaps in major crops is hazardously high. Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan, Member Food Security and Climate Change Planning Commission, said that that Pakistan exports have not been able to enter in high-value market and fetch good return due to lack of value-addition by exports sectors and diversification of products, terming it as one of the factors of country’s balance of payment problem.
