Rocks and crops
COUNTRIES have to earn their way to prosperity by building up their productive capacity. Mining the earth for natural resources is a profitable business strategy employed by many nations. Australia…
Crop challenges
THAT Pakistan is a land of opportunities, is not mere rhetoric but a reality. Unfortunately, flawed planning, misplaced priorities, the weak writ of governments and thoughtless actions to attain short-term…
Cotton: crop of yesterday?
The declining trend of cotton production in Pakistan continues. Early estimates suggest that cotton production would be around 7 million bales this year against the target of 11 million bales.…
The sharecropper and his revolution
I may be a loser, but I am a good loser. I admire those who have made it big in life, leaving people like me coughing in the dust stirred…
Replacing cane with sugar beet crop
THE federal ministry for food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) has asked Sindh and Punjab to replace half of their sugarcane crop with sugar beet in order to meet the challenge…
Beyond stabilisation: challenges and opportunities
The IMF board has finally approved a $7 billion package, with the first tranche already disbursed. Economic stabilization appears to be secured. However, this is neither the first IMF programme…
The fall of Gate 47
WHILE ‘Form 47’ continues to be the talk of the town, ‘Gate 47’ is generating a very different kind of buzz in Sindh. For context, on June 20, Gate Number…
Rethinking Pakistan’s agriculture
THE climate change-induced rains of last summer left millions of people homeless in many parts of Pakistan. While it is correct to put pressure on the international community to pay…
Apocalypse now
MAKE no mistake, we are currently in the midst of the greatest ‘natural’ disaster we have ever experienced. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), over 900 people are…
The bitter truth about sugar industry
Sugar is an essential commodity in the consumption basket of all segments of society. Its production and distribution constitute one of the major sectors of Pakistan’s economy, with significant backward…
