Pakistan floods still claiming lives, six months on

Post Source: BBC

 

ix months after the worst floods in the history of Pakistan, aid agencies say millions are still in dire need of assistance, and there are new warnings about malnutrition in the worst-hit province, Sindh. But money donated to the prime minister’s relief fund has still not been spent. The BBC’s Orla Guerin reports.

The raging torrent that pulverised, devoured and buried so much is, for the most part, a thing of memory. But its impact remains in broken bridges, mud-encrusted fields and devastated communities.

At least 18 million people were affected by the floods. The United Nations says most have returned home to destroyed houses. Six months on, countless numbers don’t even have tents.

In Sindh, some are still hostages of the flood. Stagnant, contaminated flood waters remain in some areas, like a stain on the landscape.

‘Too many problems’

We travelled, on a decrepit boat, to reach a community of about 5,000 marooned on an embankment. The floods consumed their village, Khan Mohammed Mallah. Now they have only straw huts for shelter.

“Start Quote

I wish I could ask the earth to give my child back – we are poor, we eat only once a day”

End Quote Husna Akbar Grieving mother, Khan Jo Ghot

“Our lives are totally shattered,” said Ghulam Nabi, the local schoolteacher. “We’ve lost our homes, we have no transport and no communications. There are too many problems.”

Women in brightly-coloured headscarves, with worried faces, crowded around a medical team from the UN children’s fund, Unicef. The women had brought their children to be checked for signs of an old menace – malnutrition.

A tiny baby called Malika was placed on the scales. At 18 months old, she weighed little more than a healthy newborn, and looked drained of life. Malika was one of 10 severely malnourished children in this village alone. She and her mother were taken to hospital.

Unicef is ringing alarm bells about a malnutrition crisis of epic proportions in Sindh. New figures show that one in five flood-affected children are malnourished. Unicef says the figures are “shockingly bad” and reminiscent of famines in sub-Saharan Africa.

But in spite of the desperate needs across the country, $77m (£47m; 6.5bn rupees) accumulated in the fund established by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani remains unspent. In a BBC interview he admitted it should have been allocated sooner.

“Yes it should have been disbursed quicker,” Mr Gilani told me. “But we are waiting for our assessment. We have to have specific projects. They are already making the feasibility reports, and very soon I’ll decide.”

‘We need blankets and food

But many need emergency assistance now, more than reconstruction projects in the future. Some are still waiting for blankets.

Muhammed Iqbal Memon finds that hard to understand. He is the most senior civilian official in the district of Dadu, where more houses were destroyed than in the Aceh earthquake in 2004.

“Everyone knows what we need,” he says. “We have given lists in writing. We’ve been talking and talking. The people must be frustrated. They are asking for clothes and blankets, and I am saddened when I don’t have them to give.”

Mr Memon needs 500,000 blankets. So far the government has given him only 13,000, and the international community about half that.

We joined him as he handed out blankets and winter clothing in one small camp. At first there were orderly queues – women on one side, men on the other. But when the aid ran out, chaos erupted. There were fistfights, and frenzied tug-of-wars.

This fight broke out after blankets ran out at a camp for the displaced

With too little aid to go round, Mr Memon has to decide who gets help, and who doesn’t. He admits that representatives from the ruling PPP party have a say. “We complement each other,” he said, stressing that opposition politicians and other stakeholders are also consulted.

A few hours drive away, the people of Khan Jo Ghot believe they are victims of both the flood and the ruling party. Their village is a broken jigsaw of rubble and bricks, with only a handful of buildings left standing.

“We have a firm belief that we are not getting aid because we support the opposition,” said Adbul Majid, the local teacher.

The villagers say there’s been only one food distribution since the flood. It was two months ago, and it was just enough for 50 families for 10 days.

“We received only 100 blankets,” said Zulfiqar Ali, a tall, bearded man who guided us around the village. “But there are 350 families living here. We were told we would get more but nothing came.”

Before the flood, the villagers were rice farmers. Now they survive by selling whatever they can salvage from their homes, and by borrowing.

Most people are under canvas – living, and in some cases dying, in tents. The villagers say there have been nine deaths this winter. They blame the rough conditions, and the cold.

Dreams dead

A grieving father and mother, Husna and Ali Akbar, sit on a traditional rope bed in front of their flimsy hut, with five children gathered around them. There used to be six.

On the first day of the new year, they lost their daughter Salma. They say she went blue with the cold and died a few hours later.

“I wish I could ask the earth to give my child back,” Husna says. “We are poor. We eat only once a day. Our happiness comes from our children.” Then she covers her face with her scarf, and weeps. Through her tears she tells us she is worried for the lives of her other children.

Salma was six years old, and dreamt of being a doctor. She lies buried a short distance away, in the shade of a tree.

Somehow her parents are supposed to rebuild their lives, but like many of Pakistan’s flood victims, they fear they’ve been forgotten.

They wonder how they’ll survive the coming months, and the next monsoon season, which begins in July.

Wretched of the earth

Post Source: The News International – By Ghazi Salahuddin

In the midst of all these flaming headlines about conflicts and disorder as well as revolutionary conflagrations, I was shocked by one that relates to a forlorn territory far from the reach of television cameras and satellite beams. I read it on Thursday on The Guardian website. And what was this headline? It said: “Pakistan flood crisis as bad as African famines, UN says”. There was a sub-heading: “Unicef survey shows almost a quarter of children under five are malnourished in Sindh province six months after floods”. Incidentally, the report was sent by Declan Walsh, the Pakistan correspondent of The Guardian and it noted that a “humanitarian crisis of epic proportions” is unfolding in flood-hit areas of southern Pakistan where malnutrition rates rival those of African countries affected by famine, according to the United Nations.

It quotes deputy head of Unicef in Pakistan, Karen Allen, as saying: “I haven’t seen malnutrition this bad since the worst of the famine in Ethiopia, Darfur and Chad. It’s shockingly bad”. Dorothy Blane of Concern said: “This sort of thing doesn’t happen overnight. It indicates deep, slow-grinding poverty”.

Though there have been some other news items about the Unicef survey, it was this report that highlighted a situation that many of us are vaguely aware of. I had some premonition of this disaster on the basis of eye-witness accounts I had from my wife, Sadiqa, who works with marginalised communities in some rural areas of Sindh in her association with an NGO that mainly promotes education of girls. But the floods came as a massive distraction, necessitating urgent attention to relief operations.

Last week, Sadiqa had an occasion to visit a number of flood-affected villages of Shahdad Kot near Larkana. What she told me about the state of poverty and helplessness of the people was unbelievable. I was particularly surprised because I had thought that the floods had really brought into focus the monumental deprivations of the landless farmers of the area and that it would certainly oblige the provincial officials and the local feudal lords to come to the rescue of their own people.

This expectation was also based on the fact that the floods had generated unprecedented private and organisational assistance, including from international donors. I had expressed my optimism that the entire experience would be instructive for those who exercise their power in the affected areas. In fact, I was waiting for some indications of a progressive social change in rural Sindh.

Alas, that silver lining was swallowed up by the enveloping darkness. One wonders: what would it take to rouse our obscenely rich rulers from their deep slumber? As for the accounts of poverty and utter helplessness of the farmers of Shahdad Kot’s villages, you should know that this is the constituency of the leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party. We know about the spoils system and how activists, when the PPP is in power, grapple for privileges. Be that as it may, the dreary lives of the poor in Sindh’s villages have not really changed.

This does not, however, mean that the level of poverty across the land is not equally depressing. Indeed, the central theme of the national discourse is the plight of the citizens of Pakistan. They are afflicted not just by poverty but also by social injustice and insecurity. Mere survival for millions and millions of them has become an awful challenge and they do not seem to have sufficient resources, including in an emotional or intellectual context, to meet this challenge.

Meanwhile, our electronic media is awash with other emergencies that are political and administrative in nature. It does have some justification for dealing with the ‘breaking news’ that unfailingly keeps popping up. Take, for instance, the gruesome incident that took place in Lahore on Thursday in which a functionary of the US Consulate shot and killed two young men who were alleged to have pointed a gun at him. A third was crushed to death by a vehicle that came to rescue the American citizen.

This dramatic episode in the present highly-charged environment is bound to raise a storm and its implications are likely to be grave. Already, popular emotions about America are very strong, sometimes lapsing into irrational excitement. This, surely, is a serious matter and we can expect a lot of protest and angry outbursts. We do not know if this may lead to any serious consequences, given the crises that are brewing at different levels.

At one level, stories of corruption involving billions or rupees are unfolding at a baffling pace. The political situation, in spite of the respite that is provided by Nawaz Sharif’s deadline to the government to initiate action on his 10-point agenda, remains alarming. Some observers see the economy tottering at the edge of a collapse.

Finally, the tumult in Egypt during this weekend, as a response to the overthrow of the Tunisian regime after popular revolt, has become a global focus. The entire Arab world is gripped by unrest and dark apprehensions. Would this surge of turbulence in the Arab world also affect the mood in other Muslim countries, including Pakistan? Well, Pakistan is disturbed for its own reasons and we have had stray incidents of protests on our streets.

Against this blazing perspective, where do the poor of some parts of Sindh, who are faced with the prospect of a famine, really belong? Do we have time to think about them? Are some emergency steps in the offing to prevent this crisis from becoming a major catastrophe?

This brings me back to The Guardian report. It said that the Unicef survey was done in early November but “Pakistan’s government, reluctant to publish the figures, delayed their publication, according to several aid officials”. We are told that figures for southern Punjab, which was also badly hit by the floods, have yet to be finalised.

The report said: “Sindh is Pakistan’s third largest province and home to some of the deepest inequalities. Karachi is a bustling business hub of more than 16 million people. But in the countryside, feudal traditions are strong, illiteracy is rife and government services are often non-existent”.

Ah, but do we need a Unicef survey or foreign aid workers to discover a reality that has always been present to us? Besides, it will never be enough to provide immediate relief to the affected people and to feed them and give them shelter. They deserve to lead a life of dignity and promise.

Let me quote the last two sentences of the report: “A majority of children in flood-affected areas suffer from anxiety, depression and phobias, according to a study by Save the Children. Of the children surveyed, 70 per cent expressed fear of ‘people, water, open spaces and darkness’, it found”.

The writer is a staff member. Email: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail.com

Export potential of potatoes

Post Source: DailyTimes – By Ismat Sabir

The demand for potato in Russia is increasing and Pakistan may export 120,000 to 125,000 metric tonnes potato to Russia that would bring millions of dollars in the country. Presently, the international market price ranges $ 500 per metric tonnes. Pakistan exports potatoes to Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore and Iran. Total export of fresh or chilled potatoes were 245.329 million kg in 2009-10 fetched $ 50.267 million whereas $ 41.635 million were earned by exporting 315.321 kg in 2008-09. To fulfill the Russia’s terms of importing potatoes from Pakistan, a private sector company has installed the country’s first automated state of the art potato cleaning plant in Karachi. The locally assembled plant was set up at a cost of about Rs 5 million. It would be utilised for value addition in potato and making them acceptable in the international market. It would not only do sand washing but would also help in grading process.

The total domestic production was around 1.8 million metric tones in 1988-99, of which 280,000 metric tones was used as seed and 1.5 million metric tones was available for consumption, after post harvest losses. The production increased to 2.94 million metric tonnes in 2008-09. During this period the area increased from 110 thousand hectares to 145 thousand hectares.

The domestic demand of potato is about 1.5 million tonnes, including for keeping seeds for new crop leaving a surplus quantity of 1.4 million metric tonnes. Minfal said it has encouraged the private sector to export potato or by it’s processing into chips and other forms of snacks.

For the Rabi season 2010-11 the government has set potato production target of 2.64 million tonnes showing a 4 percent lower target. Last year, the target for potato crop was 2.749 million tonnes over a sowing area of 0.160 million hectors whereas the production exceeded the target and reached 3.008 million tonnes.

For 2010-11, province-wise potato production targets are: Punjab will grow 2.483 million tonnes potato over an area of 147.68 thousand hectares. The Punjab’s share in total production is about 85 percent that comes from autumn and spring crops. Total production in Punjab was estimated to increase at the rate 9.82 percent per annum due to increases of 4.88 and 4.74 percent in area and yield, respectively.

Sindh production target was fixed at 2.70 thousand tonnes with an area of 0.31 thousand hectares. The area and yield of potatoes in Sindh have increased by 2.38 and 1.50 percent resulting in production increase of 4 percent per annum.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa target was 121.89 thousand ton over an area of 9.26 thousand hectare. Climatic conditions are favourable in KP to grow all three crops of potatoes. Total production from these crops has increased at the rate of 4 percent due to 2 percent expansion in area and 2 percent rise in yield.

The target for Balochistan was set up at 32.97 thousand ton on a sowing area of 3.22 thousand ton. In Balochistan, only summer crop is cultivated and the production has reduced at the rate of 1.70 percent per annum because the area under the crop has reduced at the rate of 2 percent.

Punjab, Sindh, KP and Balochistan accounts for 83, 1, 10 and 6 percent of the total area and 83, 1, 9 and 7 percent of the production of potatoes in the country. The shares of autumn, spring and summer crops in the annual production are estimated at 75, 10 and 15 percent, respectively. Potato ranks third among food crops, after wheat and rice and fifth in total crop Pakistan produces high energy and nutritional value per unit than wheat, rice and maize. Although potato production in Pakistan has increased manifolds but it’s per acre yield is far below than the other countries of the world. The most important factor for the low yield per acre was diseases. More than 18 potato diseases are reported in the country, of which 13 are of common occurrence.

Main Potato Producing Areas: Okara, Sahiwal, Kasur, Sialkot, Sheikhupura, Jhang, Lahore, Narowal, Pakpattan, Gujranwala, TobaTek Singh, Dibalpur, and Khanewal in Punjab, Nowshera, Dir and Mansehra in KP and Pishin, Killa Saifulla and Kalat in Balochistan are important potato growing areas, accounting for 78 percent of the total production of the crop.

Kinds of potatoes: Table potato, fresh sweet potatoes, yellow potatoes and d dried potatoes.

The floodwaters have washed away the bulk of country’s kharif crops that were also included potato. Therefore, Pakistan has to import potatoes from India arrived in Lahore via the Wagah boarder. Due to shortage potato prices increased to an unprecedented level of Rs 45 to Rs 60 per kg. It was available at Rs 8 per kg up to 2008.

It is the fourth most important crop by volume of production; high yielding and having a high nutritive value and gives high returns to farmers.

The percentage of the potato crop used for processing has steadily increased. Pakistan is self sufficient in potatoes for household consumption and depends more than 99 percent on locally produced potatoes.

Although Pakistan is a large potato producing country yet it has very limited storage and processing facilities. For enhancing potato production farmers must have the proper variety and availability of virus free seed stock is essential. The seed contributes to about 35 to 40 percent of the total cost of production. The certified seed production is limited and faces technical, economical and managerial skills, which is not available in the country.

Besides, low purchasing power of the farmers compels them to rely on seed sources of low quality or from own production. Punjab Seed Corporation (PSC) has started the sale of virus free potato seed prepared through modern tissue culture technology (TCT). The limited quantities of Caroda, Santee, Burna and Easterx are also available in addition to red varieties of desiries, cardinal and white variety Diamante. The farmers are facing many problems such as diseases and pests and majority of farmers are lacking knowledge of the right cultivation technique. The lack of credit facilities are one of the main hurdles creates problem in purchasing inputs particularly for small farmers.

Poor post harvest handling, lack of transport and storage facilities, causes losses and reduction in quality and quantity. Although cold storage space is available but handling of potatoes is not satisfactory. Moreover, the farmers and consumers always face severed cyclical shortage that results big fluctuations in price, sometimes there is surplus production and at another time acute shortage. This situation results in an unreliable income and inhibiting the consumers to include potato in their regular diet.

‘Country fast heading towards worst water shortage’

Post Source: DailyTimes – By Razi Syed

* Water experts say efforts should be made on war footing to take up water issues
KARACHI: The country is going to face the worst water shortage in the next couple of years due to insufficient water management practices and storage capacity, agriculture and water experts said Saturday. A report by the Washington DC based Woodrow Wilson Center described Pakistan’s water shortage as “deeply troubling.” It quotes South Asia scholar Anatol Lieven as saying that water shortages pose the greatest future threat to the viability of Pakistan as a state and a society. Most independent analysts inclduing experts said all Pakistanis agree that Pakistan is facing a severe water shortage and that some form of water management should be implemented soon. According to WAPDA with increased population, Pakistan is fast heading towards a situation of water shortage. Per capita surface water availability was 5260 cubic meters in 1951, when population was 34 million, which has been reduced to 1038 cubic meters in 2010 when the estimated population is 172 million.

Pakistan has to decide now to appoint patriotic and real water management experts to take up its case before International Court of Arbitration (COA) against India over construction of Kishanganga Hydropower project on river Neelum in violation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.

Pakistan has the right to oppose the Kishanganga project because its diversion will reduce by 16 percent the power generation capacity of the 969-MW Neelum-Jhelum power project on the same river downstream Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir.

Patron in chief Sindh Agriculture Forum, Shakeel Ahmad said due to the poor handling of case with India as well as at COA, Pakistan could not gain points in favour of its case, only because of a team of jurists, not sincere from the start.

He said Neelum-Jhelum power project in case of losing the case in COA, will face a loss of energy more than Rs 6 billion every year. He said, “The government should select pure people for pleading its case as the time has come and any delay would help only India,” official said.

The COA would soon take up Pakistan’s case against India over construction of Kishanganga Hydropower project on river Neelum in violation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. “The Indus Water Treaty with Indians remained just on papers. India had diverted Pakistani water and construction more dams which would further worsen the water situation in Pakistan,” Ahmad maintained.

Under the treaty, three Western rivers—Chenab, Jehlum and Indus are allocated to Pakistan and India is not allowed to build storages on them.

“The conventional engineering view is that a diversion barrage or a run of the river hydro-electric generation project does not create any storage.” The Baglihar dam is a run of the river hydro-electric project and it is India’s responsibility to establish that it will neither reduce the flow of water in Pakistan nor divert the flow of water in Indian territory.

Overall, about 200 kilometres of riverbed in Azad Kashmir will be affected by the Kishanganga project. The river will turn dry over 40 km — a negation of international environmental laws. Under the law, at least 70 percent of river flows are to be protected in case any project is taken in hand. It is a fact that underground water in Punjab province was going down due to Indian conspiracy through provision of free electricity to Indian Punjab province for tube wells. The farmers were excessively taking water through tube wells, which resulted in a downward trend of water in Pakistan Punjab province. If the process on Indian side continued then the underground water situation in Pakistan Punjab would further worsen that would badly affected main crops producing province of the country.

The underground water level went down from about 70-100 feet to up to 1000 feet and termed it worsen situation. The main crops of the country required 94 million acres feet (MAF) water but usually 76 MAF water available in the country. Bhurban Ramasawamy R Iyer, an Indian water management expert and well-known scholar, has conceded many of Pakistan’s concerns on the Baglihar dam in occupied Kashmir are “legitimate and carry weight”.

Olive: its medicinal qualities and some religious connotations

 

Post Source: Weekly Business & Finance – The News International
By Alauddin Masood

Pakistan can earn about $10 bn by bringing its cultivable potential waste lands under olive cultivation besides converting eight million wild olive trees, present in different regions, into productive trees through grafting. Over 800,000 hectares of land, in 28 districts of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, has already been identified, after completion of a one-year project (Promotion, Production and Commercialisation of olive oil in Pakistan) with the Italian government’s help for growing olives. If exploited, olive can considerably reduce the country’s import bill for edible oils. The new plantation, according to experts, may earn for the nation $9 bn annually whereas the grafting of wild olive groves can yield an income of $1 bn annually.

An integral part of diet in the Mediterranean region, olive is believed to be one of the earliest trees cultivated by man. Native to Asia, olive belongs to oleaceae family and comprises 30 genera with 600 species. Olive oil is widely used in countries where fats are scarce. In South Asia, wild olive (olea Cuspida) is found within the northwest Himalayas and other adjoining hills, but cultivated olive (olea Europea) is not grown anywhere on commercial scale. In Pakistan, olive is known as Zytoon in Urdu, Showan in Pushtu, Khat in Brahavi and Kow in Punjabi, Sindhi and Saraiki.

Mentioned seven times in the Holy Quran, the health benefits of olive have been propounded in Tibb-e-Nabvi (The Holy Prophet’s system of medicine). According to Hazrath Abu Hurairah, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Eat olive oil and apply it (locally), since there is cure for 70 diseases in it, one of them is leprosy.” Hazrat Alqama Bin Amir quotes the Holy Prophet (PBUH), as saying: “There is olive oil for you, eat it, massage over your body, since it is effective in Heamorrhoids (Piles).”

The secret of the olive tree is in two things: its fruit – the olive itself, and its over 20 feet massive underground root system, which enables the tree to withstand droughts.

The Vitamin E contained in olives is the body’s primary fat-soluble antioxidant, which helps to strengthen the digestion and body’s immune system; reducing cholesterol level, severity of asthma, cancer, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and premature ageing as well as delaying the effects of ageing, including wrinkles.

Olives contain compounds called polyphenols that appear to have significant anti-inflammatory properties. Used as balm, olive fortifies limbs and hair, keeping the later shiny and dandruff free. When applied to body, it fortifies and moisturises the skin, softening it, combating inflammation and dry skin. It combats against acne, aches and pains from tired muscles.

Tea prepared from olive leaves helps against high blood pressure; while decoction of olive leaves in water is effective against mouth and lip ulcers and allergic dermatitis. The concentrated aqueous extract of olive leaves and fruits is effective against dental cavities and its application shows good effects on leukoplaquea in mouth. When this solution is applied with vinegar on alopecia, it grows the hair and removes alopecia. Local application of this extract removes scars of small pox and boils.

The oil procured by burning of olive wood is effective against fungal infections,. The application of olive oil in eyes relieves inflammation, while its massage tones up the body muscles/ organs and relieves muscular pains. Some physicians also advocate olive oil massage for epilepsy.

The ointments prepared from olive oil are good healing agents, which quickly heal sinus and fistula. A conventional regimen, comprising of olive oil and herbal rugs, dissolves and expels gallbladder stones.

The best olive production and fruit quality occurs in areas having mild winter and long warm dry summer. Olive trees can be planted during spring and fall. However, fall is best if there is no likelihood of frost during winter. Although olive is a hardy tree, it requires timely irrigation during the early two years. If it does not rain, trees should be irrigated twice or thrice in a year, preferably before flowering, after flowering and 30-45 days before fruit maturing.

Currently Pakistan meets some 73per cent of its edible oil requirements of around 2.8 million tons from imports entailing an annual expenditure of US$ 1.7 to 2.2 billion. To lessen dependence on edible oil imports, the government launched a programme, in 2001, envisaging increasing domestic production of sunflower, oil palm, canola and extra-virgin olive oil. 

Adopting a two-pronged approach of grafting and new plantation, the government has converted most of the olive trees into oil-bearing species of the European type olive at a cost of about Rs. 186.370 million.

Under new plantation, olive orchards have already been established over 955 acres of land in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (at Tarnab-Peshawar, Sangbhatti, Khawoo, Kandare and Toru Kas in Mardan district and Pirsabak in Nowshera district), Punjab (Potohar) and Balochistan. Launched in 2005, the project, which envisaged an expenditure of Rs. 39.185 million, aimed at cultivating over 300,000 olive saplings in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan.

Now, the government is mulling a Rs. 382 million project – ‘Commercialisation and Promotion of olive and olive products for economic development and poverty alleviation’ – with Italy’s help and assistance, aimed at utilising cultureable wastelands, forest lands and sub-mountainous areas for massive cultivation of olive. According to experts, one ton of oil can be extracted from olive trees spreading over one hectare of land. 

The Italians have also provided training to 1,500 workers in olive cultivation/harvesting and provided an oil extraction plant, having a capacity of 400 kilogram per hour; under the earlier agreement. Meanwhile, the government has itself purchased four oil extraction units having a capacity of 50 kilogram per hour.

Govt urged to retrieve NICL scam land

Post Source: The News International

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

LAHORE

THE Pakistan Muttahida Kisan Mahaz (PMKM) has urged the Punjab government to take immediate steps for retrieving agriculture land of the poor farmers of Toor Warraich, situated in Lahore Cantt, which had been grabbed by some influential people.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, PMKM Coordinator Lahore Division Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf and Mehroon Toor along with victims of the NICL scam alleged that institutions investigating the corruption in the NICL had totally ignored the thousands of kanals of land of the village which was grabbed by the influential fraudulently to sell it to the NICL. They alleged that Sakhi Sarwar (Gardawar) and Zulfikar (Patwari), involved in the scam, had not been included in the interrogation while the revenue officer concerned also was not probed. They said both the Parwari and Gardawar should immediately be suspended from service and all the documents related to their land be recovered from their possession.

They warned that affectees and PMKM workers would stage a sit-in at the Chief Ministerís Secretariat and Chief Ministerís House if their demands were not met.

Development of agri-sector for sustainable growth and food security

 Post Source: Business & Finance Review of The News International
By Hashim Abro

Pakistan has, indeed, a tremendous potential for irrigated agriculture, with fresh water from the River Indus and other rivers, rain water if harvested, and fossil water that can be drilled. It also has a weather pattern that is suitable for almost all production but unfortunately agricultural sector still is being placed n the list of the most neglected sectors. However, population growth, urbanization, gender inequalities, climate change and access to markets are just some of the factors that affect Pakistan’s ability to produce desirable quantity of food. Despite impressive paper work, even the present government is doing nothing to invest in our people’s skills and agricultural technology. We have a plethora of federal and provincial agriculture institutions especially set up for the research and agricultural extension purpose but whatever research is being conducted therein and whatever benefit their research has given to the poor farmers who spiritually attached with this sector and have  been still relying on old traditional methods, is anybody’s guess. No any investment has been made in the human development in the agriculture where it is needed, women empowerment, extension services, technological innovation, trade etc.

The recent rise in global food prices caused by the severe shortages presents an opportunity to boost local food production and increase the country’s self-sufficiency level. Since the governments around the globe are pursuing policies of good governance, infrastructure, and private sector development, internal resource mobilization, creating an appropriate agricultural business environment that could help give their economies grassroots lease of life or resilience but unfortunately it is not being done in Pakistan. The government needs to push the agricultural sector in this direction through food security strategies that are already bearing fruit in different agro-economy based countries.  An innovative step should be the local cultivation of rice with the aim of supplying the domestic market and for export. Furthermore, development of the agribusiness sector should be very high on the agenda of the Board of Investment ( BoI) and it needs to devise planning to attract further foreign investment in areas such as  Horticulture: Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers, Field crops, Cereal grains, Grain legumes, Root crops, oil plants and tress and others.

However for sustainable Agricultural growth and Food Security, interalia, our planners and policy makers need to be able to link energy requirements with specific objectives of agricultural and rural development, such as food security, agro-industry development, and sustainable farming practices. This requires data indicating the energy intensiveness of different farming techniques for important food and other crops. Second, in order to promote food security strategies with the necessary energy inputs, policies and methodologies should consider the critical linkages between agricultural production, agricultural-based industries (food, beverage, tobacco, and textiles), distribution and commercialization, and the rest of the economy. Since agricultural growth is the most important contributor to manufacturing and service activity in the country, not only stimulating agro-industries, but the rest of the economy as well. In this context, energy from biomass is an added benefit. Third, the goal of food security would require an increase in agricultural energy requirements, particularly if emphasis is made on improving yield through conventional high-input techniques. Agro-industry would become the fastest growing sector, in terms of energy requirements, with the agricultural sector the next fastest growth sector. Fourth, Low-input farming techniques, such as integrated pest management, low-tillage cultivation, use of residues, green manures, and other organic fertilizers, may play an important role in sustainable agricultural development. There are several local success stories and new initiatives in low-input, high-yield agriculture. However, the energy implications of these techniques have yet to be systematically documented. More research is needed to enable clear comparisons with well established high-input methods. Fifth, the design and implementation of almost all sustainable agriculture and rural development field activities will require some form and amount of energy input. In many cases, this energy input is not considered, leading to unsatisfactory solutions from both the environmental and energy efficiency standpoints. It is necessary to “energize” agricultural practices with the same sustainability and environmental criteria as the practice itself.

At present, one of the most tremendous challenges we have in rural Pakistan particularly in the province of Sindh, is that the agricultural population is ageing and there are no programmes to entice the youth into agriculture. The government must call conferences to address this problem. If the youth in Pakistan have some sustained assistance programmes, many of them would rather prefer to live in their rural environments than hustle in other urban areas for in existent jobs. This is the time to begin to find solutions to the problem. The objective of this programme is to provide a regular source of income to the young prospective farmers and to lure the youth back into farming. It sounds easy but for sure its implementation will be difficult. It stands to reason that one has to take the risk to start somewhere. Agriculture experts say that one of the most economical ways to diminish rural poverty and hunger is through the support of smallholder farmers.

The FAO says that about 85 percent of the world’s farms are smaller than two hectares and smallholder farmers and their families represent one-third of the world’s population, or two billion people. Our government should also encourage the smallholder farmers so that they can play their role vigorously for sustainable agricultural growth and food security in the country.

In sum, since Pakistan holds enormous potential for boosting the yield of food crops and other agricultural commodities and it could have a better chance of feeding its people with improved governance, more effective agricultural policies, better training and other measures what is needed the most it is continued, focused action on the agricultural sector and that will also lead Pakistan to vibrant agricultural growth and food self-sufficiency in this age of food prices hike and food items paucity.

Transfer of farms land to poor farmers urged

Post Source: The News International

By Noor Aftab
 
The Parliamentary Roundtable Caucus on Food Sovereignty on Monday demanded transfer of 68,000 acres of land of military and public farms in Punjab to poor farmers.  The demand was raised at the concluding session of two days Caucus organised by South Asian Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) in coordination with Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee. The participants emphasised the need for providing land of military and public farms including research and livestock facilities being managed by the provincial government to poor farmers who find it hard to make their both ends meet. Parliamentary members and representatives from five countries attended the Caucus including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

Various recommendations were given at the concluding session that included constitution of South Asian Parliamentary Forum on Food Sovereignty and Poverty Eradication, legislation for agricultural reforms and initiatives to end monopoly of multi-national companies in the agriculture sector.

Speaking on the occasion Chairman of National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights Riaz Fityana said the government has to prioritise its limited resources amongst defence related expenditures, debt retirement, day-to-day administration and public sector development programmes.

“With major crops damaged or destroyed in 3.6 million hectares of cultivated land and variable food supply expected from the unaffected regions, a famine-like food crisis is imminent in many parts of the country,” he said.

He said agricultural production in Pakistan, Asia’s third largest grower of wheat and fourth largest producer of cotton, may decline by 10 to 15 per cent. “It has serious implications: Even though agriculture constitutes 22 per cent of economy, it employs two-thirds of the country’s population,” he said.

Riaz Fityana said it took decades of misguided economic policies, more than just recent climatic hazards, to bring the economy to its current state of crisis.

He emphasised the need to empower small-farmers that would be a crucial step in the direction of a just, sustainable and self-sufficient agricultural economy.

Saydul Haq, chairman of Standing Committee on Food and Disaster in the Bangladesh Parliament, said the international community has to play its role to ensure a true global partnership for development.

He said initiatives be taken to implement UN Agenda 21 to increase official development assistance commitments, provide full debt relief, improve access to markets, technological and capacity building support and transfer of technology.

Saydul Haq said the developed countries should overhaul the international economic and financial system in order to restore the world’s confidence in it and achieve sustainable development.

“Protectionism must be avoided and assistance provided so that the developing countries, particularly those emerging from conflict, could attain the Millennium Development Goals,” he said.

Farooq Tahir, secretary of Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee, said food security can only be ensured when peasants, agriculture workers, farmers, indigenous people and local minority groups and communities have the right over productive resources including land, water, forest, seeds, credit, information and technology.

Other parliamentary members who attended the Caucus included Senator Hasil Bajenjo, Minister for Education Sardar Assef Ahmad Ali, Balochistan Minister Dr. Rukaya Hashmi and MNA’s Farah Naz Isphahani, Raheela Baloch, Humayun Saifullah and Jameela Gilani.

The state of poverty and food sovereignty in South Asia

Post Source: By Farooq Tariq

 

(The paper was read at the South Asian parliamentary round table Caucus held in Islamabad in 23-24^th January 2011)

 

The Parliamentary Round Table Caucus on food sovereignty in cooperation with the South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) thematic group on Food Sovereignty, Climate Change, Livelihood and Employment is particularly important after the recent flood’s devastating impact on Pakistan agriculture and on peasants. The devastation caused by recent floods has reached alarming proportions. Human sufferings have been aggravated by severe blows dealt to the agricultural sector, which will have longer-term impacts. Standing crops have been washed away and millions of livestock lost. Agriculture is the prime source of income in major parts of the flood-affected areas and the losses incurred have had a direct effect on the livelihoods of the peasants. The losses sustained by the agricultural sector will also worsen food insecurity situation across the country with more acute effects in those flood affected.

The scale of the human tragedy is enormous. To put it in some perspective, the flood waters submerged one-fifth of Pakistan; culminating in 1600 dead, about 20 million people displaced and 17 million acres of farmland destroyed. Pakistan’s towns, villages, crops, livestock, personal possessions and infrastructure were completely washed away. The flood waters destroyed the country’s infrastructure like bridges, irrigation canals, homes, roads and railway tracks and six power plants that supply electricity to factories. Pakistan prime agricultural regions, the highly fertile and productive Punjab, Sindh and Khaiber Pukhtoon Khawa were completely underwater.

Tragically the flood hit the most fertile food growing areas. Gilgit, Swat, Charsada, Swabi, Nowshera to Larkana, Dadu and Matiari are food growing pockets and contribute a reasonable share in country’s food and grain economy. Major losses of crops, orchards, cattle, fodder, cotton and other major cash crops had a serious setback on the economy. This will create food scarcity and insecurity for many in coming months.

In a country where a quarter of the economy is dependent on agriculture for food and jobs, it is obvious that the small peasants, landless agriculture workers and small farmers have been the main victim. The scarcity in food is a major challenge now after three months of flood. The prices of food items are soaring every day and no compensation is been paid to the workers and peasants effected by this devastating floods as compare to the losses they have suffered. With large scale damage to agriculture and billions of dollars worth of crops and livestock destroyed, the supply of food decreased.

The recent devastating flood has once again uncovered the severe poverty that peoples of Pakistan are facing. The whole property of many hundreds of thousands fleeing from their mud homes in a hurry was just a trunk, few clothes and pottery and may be a donkey, cow or a buffalo.

Food is essential to life. Food not only provides the basic sustenance for physical survival and nutrition for healthy human existence; food is also a key element of people’s culture.

The world now produces enough food to feed everyone, and yet millions of people, including 6 million children under the age of five, die each year as a result of hunger and chronic malnutrition. Every day the toll is 25,000 deaths from hunger. This number does not include preventable deaths from illnesses related to malnutrition and poverty.

The much-touted claims of economic growth and progress by successive civilian and military governments exclude millions of people languishing in hopeless poverty. This is the situation persistent in all South Asian Countries without exception. Under the influence of Neo liberal formulations, no longer the governments talk of “abolition” or “elimination” of poverty but only of its “alleviation”.  The increase in numbers of poor is common in all countries.

According to Human Development Report 2009, Afghanistan is ranked on 132 out of 182 countries; Bangladesh is on 112, Pakistan on 101 and Nepal on 99th position. This number only indicates the “absolute poor”-those who are unable to meet their daily nutritional requirements calculated in terms of calories. The number of poor would be far higher if other aspects of a dignified quality of life are considered. Large sections of the population –easily the majority- are deprived of basic necessities of life such as adequate shelter and housing, clothing, education and health services etc. They have almost no access to resources. Studies now indicate that the problem of poverty, even in countries like India that boasts of substantial economic growth, is persistent.

According to Pakistan Planning Commission (2009), poverty rate has jumped from 23.9 to 37.5 percent from 2005 to 2008. The commission has estimated that in 2005, there were 35.5 million people living below the poverty line but in 2008 their number increased to over 64 million. It is stated that over 64 million people, out of 160 million populations has plunged into the poverty pool. The numbers have been increased considerably after the recent floods. Although, no data in this regard is available however, it is obvious that the scale of devastating has effected mostly “the poor of the poor”. Consequently, unemployment has also increased. Moreover, 40 percent of the urban population lives in slum areas. Reduction in social sector spending is increasing poverty and has reduced the standard of living in the country. It is estimated that at least 43 Billion Dollars will be needed to rebuild the economic and infrastructural loss because of flood. The United Nation appeal to raise 2 Billion Dollars for flood affectees, if successful, will make only a diminutive difference.
  
However, there is a race among the governments of South Asia to prove statistically a decline in poverty.  States, Governments and some time even non governmental agencies particularly associated with privileged groups rush to tell us that poverty is on decline. Under General Musharaf dictatorship, we heard many times how things are changing in favor of the poor and that the per capita income is on ever increasing trends. This is problematic proposition, because the basis on which imaginary income “poverty line” is calculated is done arbitrarily and can be conveniently manipulated.

Poverty was defined by official sources in terms of ability /capacity of a person to purchase the minimum food stuff necessary to provide the minimum numbers of calories required to stay alive. The numbers of calories was scaled down from the international standards of 2400 per day to suit condition of climate and of body build in South Asia to 2100 per day. Calories count and enumeration of numbers can only be useful for statistical purpose and not for the real lives of the millions. Unfortunately the “growth and progress” debate in several South Asian countries tend to hide the poor and vulnerable people.

We recognize that food and agriculture is fundamental for the people. Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations. It defends the interests and inclusion of the next generation. It offers a strategy to resist and dismantle the current corporate trade and food regime, and directions for food, farming, pastoral and fisheries systems determined by local producers.

Food sovereignty prioritizes local and national economies and markets and empowers peasant and family farmer-driven agriculture, artisanal fishing, pastoralist-led grazing, and food production, distribution and consumption based on environmental, social and economic sustainability. It ensures that the rights to use and manage our lands, territories, waters, seeds, livestock and biodiversity are in the hands of those of us who produce food. Food sovereignty implies new social relations free of oppression and inequality between men and women, peoples, racial groups, social classes and generations.

The South Asian economies are structurally adjusted by neo liberal orthodoxy, directing towards a closer integration with the world market and economy. One sees increased operations of global capital within these countries with minimum or no restriction and free flow of finance capital with the intervention World Bank, IMF and WTO. This has not resulted in reduction of eradication poverty, on the contrary, it has increased the numbers of poor and accompanied by disparity. The disparity is very glaring in recent years in all the South Asian countries especially in Pakistan. A section of society, somewhat wider than the traditional elite, enjoys unprecedented level of incomes in these countries.

Neo liberalism has deprived people of their basic rights to food, education, jobs: aggravated hunger and death on account of starvation and plunder of the earth of all its natural resources. The policies persuaded by the rulers of the South Asian countries have created conditions of exclusion, marginalization and denial of rights, justice and democratic freedom to the majority of the people.  

South Asia is a region dominated by millions of peasants who have been struggling against all forms of exploitations. The condition of peasants in the region has gone bad to worse. The governments of the region always claim that, they represent the general peasants and people and also claim that, they have given toppriority to unemployment, hunger and poverty reduction, in their political programs. That is a false notion.

Peasants  in the  region are  exploited,  discriminated  and  even  tortured  by  the feudal  and landlords in the villages. In Pakistan, the institution of military has also become part of feudal class. They own agriculture land to an extent not seen in other South Asian countries. They have refused to grant the ownership to the tenants working over 100 years and have resorted to all sort of repression when the tenants revolted for land rights.
The current economic trends have plunged the agriculture, which is the source of the income for the majority in these countries, into a crisis and particularly the cultivating peasantry in deep crisis. The feudal system remains intact in some major countries of South Asia, thus paving the way for more bonded labour and slavery.  All the tasks of modernizing the society remain unsolved and the ruling elite have failed miserably in developing the countries on more just and democratic basis. The achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in South Asia are minimal, hence there is strong doubt that the majority of these goals will be achieved by the set date line of 2015.

The world is rich yet there are a billion hungry people. Hunger exists because food and resources are not equitably distributed. This is an immoral and insufferable richness. The fragile, rich world we live in is now facing a structural and multifaceted crisis. Climate, energy, financial and economic crises further aggravate the persistent food crisis, the only one –so far– which has triggered riots in dozens of countries, clearly underlining how essential equitable access to food is to the well-being of people and to social and political stability. Tunisia is the recent example where a long standing dictatorship promoted by the multinational companies, was overthrown by a mass movement unprecedented in recent history. This was triggered by the rise in the price of bread and butter.

Looking at the gender dimension of poverty, the women of South Asia have a disproportionately lower level of participation in the world female labour force, that lower education and skills level s of women lead to lower earning, that gender discriminations starts even before birth through female infanticide and continue throughout life and that South Asia still contains the highest numbers of female illiterate in the world.

Displacement is a major problem that the vulnerable sections and in specific cases, other sections, face. Displacement from the traditional habitat is caused by many factors. Armed conflicts of various kinds and types, from internecine warfare to civil war to war on terror to counter insurgency, forms one set of reasons.  It is also the development programmes that displace millions from their habitat. Natural disasters are yet another major cause of internal displacement of people in large numbers.

The recent flood has forced at one time over 10 million people to leave their homes. Earlier in 2009, a military operation against religious fanatics in Swat valley resulted in 3.5 million people leaving their homes to safe lives for over three months. Same was the case of the catastrophic earthquake of October 2005. All the claims of the government to provide timely relief and rehabilitation did not materialize and many asked question again and again, “where is the government”.

All South Asian countries have altered their economic policies, political arrangements and foreign policy stances to suit the interests of dominant industrialized nations, often under the direction of the multilateral financial institutions such as World Bank, IMF and WTO. Instead of taking responsibility for these failures, World Bank and IMF are now blaming the victim countries for having poor institutions, bad governess and corrupt practices. Jobless growth in particular is being blamed on rigid labour market institutions and resistance to globalization. The majority of the workforce, both men and women, are employed in the rapidly swelling unorganized informal sector, characterized by uncertain wages and job insecurity. With virtual no legal protection or unionization, workers in these sector are vulnerable to exploitation.

According to Human Development Report 2009, the share of expenditure of the poorest 10 percent in Pakistan is only 3.9 percent as compared to 26.5 percent by the richest 10 percent. The situation is far worst in Nepal where the ratio is 2.7 percent to 40.4 percent by the 10 percent richest of the country.

The neo liberal agenda leaves the question of poverty eradication at the mercy of the free market and competitions. This is a false supposition. We had enough of the thirty years of neo liberalism. All the recipe and advices by IMF, World Bank and WTO to tackle the poverty resulted in opposite side. We have to do away with these institutions.

The principle issues before all the people of the region are survival with dignity, democracy, sovereign independence, anti people trends of neo liberalism, corporate globalization, unfair trade practices, debts, militarization, fundamentalism, gender injustice, armed conflicts, erosion of democracy, labour exploitation, unjust access to natural resources, and feminization of poverty. The solution to these problems- at least on conceptual level- can also not be narrowing national, let alone local or sectoral. The lasting solution can only be regional, to be sought, forged and implemented through struggle at a regional-South Asian- level in cooperation with the thought and struggle of the toiling masses the world over.

The reemergence of new politics requires the construction of new kinds of social and political institutions. The new politics are not an “end state” but the affirmation of the state as an instrument of the people’s power, people’s democracy and people’s empowerment. It also means reaffirmation of the state’s obligation of justice for the people from where it, according to democratic traditions, drives its legitimacy and power. The alternative politics need to challenge and later the development paradigm that argues for the market as the only appropriate answer to the problem of economic development.

In order to eradicate the poverty from south Asia and ensure the right to food of each individual along with the revolutionary changes in agrarian practices and peasants’ right, we the peasants’ movement of South Asia strives for guarantee of Food sovereignty as fundamental rights of people.

However, focusing on the state is not enough. Global capitalism is no longer identified with one country. It cannot be resisted with isolated actions that are confined to individual countries. Therefore the countries of South Asia are in a need today of anew radical imagination. The immediate struggle will have to focus on the question of survival and sustenance and on economic and social rights. The goal of a new universal culture and a new internationalism will be necessary component of this new vision.

Food sovereignty is ensured when peasants, agriculture workers, poor farmers, indigenous people, dalits and local minority groups and communities have the right over productive resources, including land, water, forest, seeds, credit, information and technology. To ensure the food sovereignty of every individual, genuine agrarian reform must be accomplished. An end of feudalism in all parts of South Asia is a must. It should be implemented in a comprehensive manner so that access of the people to productive resources is ensured and problems of the rural economy such as unemployment and poverty can be tackled. The people taking part in agriculture should be the ones making the agriculture policies and programmes. They should decide what sort of policies should be formulated. They should be brought in the decision-making process so that realistic policies and programmes can be introduced.

The food sovereignty policy framework has stated that agriculture is life, a tradition and a way of living for developing countries like ours. It is the basis for economic development and sustainable development. Therefore, the state should protect and develop agriculture, and implement the kind of agricultural development model that is sustainable. Food sovereignty ensures the right of every individual to affordable, safe, healthy, culturally appropriate, nutritious and locally produced food and to a life with dignity. It is also a right of the consumers to be able to decide what they consume, how it is produced and by whom it is produced. Food sovereignty also recognizes the contribution of women peasants, indigenous groups in overall agricultural activities who play a significant role in agricultural development, food production and seeds saving and storing.

Therefore, food sovereignty can be defined as a fundamental right of the people, local communities and the state to decide and implement their agricultural and food policies and strategies for sustainable production and distribution. It is the right of access to productive resources such as land, water, seeds and bio-diversity for sustainable utilization. So, it is urgent to incorporate food sovereignty as a sovereign right of people. We need to popularize the concept lunching advocacy and awareness campaign and lobby with the policy makers.

Parliamentarian caucus in this respect can not only help to inform, discuss, lobby but also in creating pressure to the government through their co-operation and support.

Flood survivors live in uncertainty

Post Source: The News International

February 03, 2011

KARACHI: Despite the international community’s pledge to provide long-term relief to flood-stricken Pakistan, a mass number of disaster victims are still living in harsh conditions. Hundreds of thousands of people live in temporary shelters, even though more than a billion dollars in aid has been delivered to the disaster-stricken country. Many neighborhoods in Sindh province are under water and tens of thousands of displaced people are living out in the open.

Child malnutrition, similar to those seen in African famines, has been among the big challenges Pakistan is trying to recover from. The floods struck Pakistan six months ago and affected 18 million lives.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund and a Sindh provincial government survey, almost a quarter of the children in the province are suffering from malnutrition as a result of epic floods that leveled hundreds of farming villages in the country.

Flood victims are dissatisfied with their government’s inability to help them. They also criticize the international community for failing to provide long-term relief. The UN on Thursday urged the international community to provide more money to help the victims of the devastating catastrophe.

An estimated ten million people have been left homeless in Pakistan after Mansoon floods devastated the country late last year.