Although the output of cotton registered a steep fall and recurring locust attacks destroyed great chunk of standing crops, yet agriculture sector posted a significant growth of 2.67 percent in the outgoing fiscal year as compared with 0.58 growth recorded in previous financial year. It is blessing in disguise that it escaped the impact of coronavirus pandemic, which caused negative growth in manufacturing, transport, communication and services sector. Had the recommendations of National Assembly Standing Committee on increasing the minimum support price of cotton implemented, the performance of agriculture sector would have been more appreciable. Against all odds, agriculture has once against asserted its role of backbone of the economy and major source of national output and employment. The break of cereals and other staple crops shows that rice production increased by 2.9 percent to 7.410 million tonnes; output of maize crop rose by 6 percent to 7.236 million tonnes and wheat registered a growth of 2.5 percent to 24.946 million tonnes. Production of other crops such as pulses, oilseeds and vegetables grew by 4.57 percent. On the contrary, output of cotton declined by 6.9 percent, providing a rationale for fixing the minimum its support price at Rs.5, 500 per 40 kilogram as demanded by growers and APTIMA. Agriculture sector in is a state of deep crisis over the past three decades. Farmers face water shortages, high cost of agriculture inputs and lack of compensation when standing crops are destroyed by natural calamities. A sustainable long term agriculture policy needs to formulated and implemented, which envisages timely water supply availability, substantial reduction in input cost, crops protection against insects and pests attacks, credit facilities for small farmers at low markup, crop insurance and expansion in research facilities for evolving high yield, disease and climate change impact resistant seeds for growing different crops. Paltry reduction in the price of one brand of fertilizer does not substantially bring down the abnormally escalated cost that farmers incur in the shape of purchasing seeds, insecticides, optimal combination of fertilizers and high wages of labour. The levies of sugarcane cess and gas infrastructure development cess have further compounded the woes of farmers impacting the yield of a number of crops. In the decade of 60s a long term plan of crops protection against insects and pests attacks had been in place. Farmers had been getting the required insecticides and pesticides at lower rates and their crops protection efforts used to be supplemented by aerial spray done by the government. When the locust swarms were decimating standing crops in Africa last year, government knew that their attack was coming. But no action plan and strategies were drawn up. From June till December last year several meeting were held but no concrete strategy was chalked out in advance to prevent the imminent locust attack.
