Pakistan’s agriculture sector is not underperforming by accident. It is failing by deliberate policy choice, entrenched political capture, and intellectual stagnation.

We romanticize the farmer while preserving a system that institutionalizes inefficiency, wastes our most precious resource—water—depletes our soil, and condemns rural communities to persistent poverty. This is not mismanagement; it is sabotage of our national future.

If Pakistan is serious about economic survival, let alone revival, this sector must grow at a minimum of 10 percent annually for the next decade. This is no lofty aspiration; it is an arithmetic necessity. Without it, overall GDP growth will remain stunted, food inflation will continue to erode household budgets, and rural despair will deepen, fueling social instability.

The tragedy—and the opportunity—is that the solutions are well-known, affordable, and within reach. What has been lacking is the will to implement them.

A national charter for agricultural revival

We must move beyond ad-hoc announcements and commit to a clear, non-negotiable five-year charter with measurable targets:

• Crop productivity: Increase by 25 percent.

• Water efficiency: Reduce water use per acre by 30 percent.

• Post-harvest losses: Slash from an estimated 35 percent to under 15 percent.

• Import bill: Save USD 5–7 billion annually through substitution.

• Sector........

© Business Recorder