To bring about a revolution in agriculture and change the traditional farming methods, the government has decided to send one thousand agricultural experts to China for training. It remains to be seen how soon this will be implemented. Once the experts receive their training, it will also be crucial to see how long they stay in the country’s agricultural fields before potentially seeking opportunities elsewhere.
Pakistan has been facing this situation from the beginning. Many experts or highly educated individuals, after completing their training, often seek better-paying opportunities abroad. Additionally, training in agricultural lands should be complemented by training in forestry across the country. In major cities like Karachi, there is an urgent need for extensive afforestation.
Trees should be planted, but their protection should also be ensured. For decades, tree-planting campaigns have been launched, and thousands of trees have been planted either in the news or in reality. However, due to lack of care, these plants often perish quickly, with very few growing into mature trees. In some areas of Karachi, there are no trees for miles, which exacerbates the extreme heat during the summer. Previously, the temperature would only rise for a day or two during the summer, and heatwaves were occasional. Now, the entire city experiences intense heat multiple times a week and month.
Furthermore, agricultural experts need training on how to manage floodwater or rainwater during the monsoon season. Besides Karachi, heavy rains across the country often cause flooding. Additionally, India releases large amounts of water through canals, causing nearby villages to become inundated. Since India often releases floodwater without prior notice, villagers frequently find out about the flooding only when the water enters their homes, leading to the collapse of mud houses.
Paved houses are submerged, roads are washed away, thousands of livestock are lost, and hundreds of people lose their lives. Those who survive face constant fears of snakes, hunger, thirst, helplessness, and lack of administrative support. This situation recurs every year, and preemptive measures are rarely taken. The ample water available should be stored effectively for future use.
When canals dry up and fields require water, the scarcity of water becomes evident. Wells dry up, and water from tube wells decreases, leading to widespread drought. It is crucial to understand that surplus rainwater or floodwater should not be wasted but rather stored for use during dry periods.
It has been reported that under CPEC, one thousand agricultural experts will be trained in China. Recently, a meeting was held by the Planning Ministry where it was reiterated that modernizing agriculture is an urgent necessity. Agricultural education and research are among the government’s top priorities. The government hopes that the one thousand individuals trained in China will become the architects of an agricultural revolution in the country. The government should act promptly to send these experts.
The duration of the training is still unclear, and the agricultural sector is vast. It includes dairy farming, meat production, forestry, urban afforestation, irrigation during water shortages, rural development, post-harvest storage, crop protection for extended periods, and many other aspects. Each of these areas needs thorough coverage, as training a thousand experts in only one aspect of agriculture will not be sufficient for overall improvement. Therefore, no sector related to agriculture should be neglected. For an agricultural revolution to occur, comprehensive efforts from all directions are necessary.