Impact of Biotechnology in Reducing Poverty and

Hunger in Pakistan
In 1197 Pakistan population was 137.8 million. The incidence of poverty
in Pakistan is estimated between 30-35% of the population. The
poverty line is sent with reference to daily caloric intake of 2,550
calories per adult, as recommended by the Planning commission. The
incidence of poverty declined from 46.0% of the population in 1984-85
to 37.4% in 1987-88 and 34.0% in 1990-91. In 1990-91, the incidence of
poverty was higher in rural area (36.9%) then in urban area (28.0%).

Poverty line were set at Rs.296 (US$8.40) for monthly per capita
consumption expenditure in rural areas and Rs.334 (US$9.50) for
monthly per capita consumption expenditure in urban area, poverty
based on this method was 31.6% of population below the poverty line
1991. And poverty in rural areas was 33.5% then in urban area is 27.0%.

In Pakistan 65% population live in the rural areas their main profession
is agriculture or agricultural related work. In 1981, 26.2% of population
above 10 years was literate. While in 1981 literacy rate at the age group
15-24 for males was 54.6%. In urban area it was 35.8%, in rural area it
was 64.2%, while for female illiteracy rate was 75.1% for urban area it
was 51.9% in the rural area it was 87.9%.

The rural poverty in Pakistan has been artificially created. The

responsibility lies on the Federal Government's Price control Board. At
the time of independence in 1947, agriculture was the dominating
sector, contributing 53% of Gross Domestic Products (GDP). In 1987, 40
years after the formation of Pakistan, it contributed only 25% of GDP,
still providing employment to more than 50% of the country's total
labor-force. Agriculture and Agro-based industries accounts for 80% of
country's total labor-force. The present prices of what in 1995 at Rs.160
per 40 kg’s is about 46.34% of 1975 prices in terms of real prices.
Between 1975 Pak Rupee Visa-Vis US Dollar has depreciated from
Rs.9.90 to Rs.31.00 per US$1.00. The US Dollar in turn has also
depreciated to 0.3329 of 1975 its value. This justifies the price of wheat
to do increased by 10 times fixed by the Government to that of 1975 or
Rs.396.5 per 40 kg’s, against Rs.160 as fixed by the Government.

Consequences of price control.

 Consequences of low prices of agricultural commodities are:

 Low margins of profit to the farming community.
 Low capacity of develop the land further.
 Lack of interest in spending on inputs like, water management,
ground water development, irrigation techniques for saving
water, applying optimum fertilizer, procuring better seeds,
optimum use of plant protection measures, capital cost on
structures for efficient farming, precious land leveling introducing
new corps and etc.
 Lack of inputs further reduces ability to spend on input and low
levels of yields are maintained. The yield of all agricultural
commodities including fruits, vegetables, and grasses are 1/3rd of
those in advanced countries.
 Low salaries to farm labor.
 Low ability of farmer to improve his lot, as well as that of his
family.
 He cannot support his family and has to economics on food in-
take, wear cheap clothes, moved bare-footed.
 The low standards of food further cause diseases in the family and
high mortality as well as low life expectancy.
 The farm family is not able to earn required calories of food. For
rural Sindh the present average is 1600 kilo calories for females
and 2000 kilo calories for males falling short by 20%, which is
acquired by browsing of wild plant food like berries, young leaves
 of peas and beans, stolen vegetables and sugar cane and doing
extra jobs at home or outside for some one.
 The food of most of rural labor force, tenant farmers and small
owner cultivar has been reduced to cereals taken with tea or
occasionally with peas and beans.
 Animal protein is taken hardly once a month.
 Milk is produced for sale and poor of above classes hardly take it.
 The research of past 20 years has shown that if at least _ kg milk is
not taken by children under 14 years, they become mentally
retarded and stupid and this is common occurrence in Sindh of to-
day i.e., new population from poor class is low in I.Q and is
mentally retarded.

Why prices are controlled?

 Prices are controlled to provide cheap labor to the industry. The

industry exports manufactured good at international prices and
over and above that they earn bonus. Thus the industry makes
high margin of profits, and they keep expanding and putting new
industries from the profits. The city labor can fight for the wages
but they are provided cheap grains, vegetables, meat, milk and
fruit. They are also provided free medical assistance, the bill being
about Rs.500 per month per worker's family. Leave salary, gratuity
and leave fare assistance takes him to his home village on
vacation or provide extra money for family if he stays in the town
he works in. He raised no voice and if he does, wages are
increased slightly and industrialist is allowed to make profits.
 As against this 100% of land owners are bankrupt and almost all
of them take loans from banks for raising crops annually.
 Loans for industry are allowed against urban property and are
allowed at 75% of value of property. Loans against land are paid
on unit basis. A land of 40 units is sold at Rs.40, 000 - 50,000 per
acre but the land owner can get only Rs.3, 000 for development
 from banks i.e., 10% or less of value. By these policies government
have create poverty in the rural areas of Pakistan.

By these policies government have create poverty in the rural areas of

Pakistan.

In 2025 due to new technologies and new trade laws like GATT, WATO,
International Property Right, these International laws will change the
shape of Pakistan government policies.

By the next century we have transgenic crops with better yields and
more nutrition and would be able to grow under adverse condition.
This will definitely bring change in Pakistan agriculture and it will help in
reducing the poverty by creating more markets and jobs. It will provide
cheap food to everyone but since Pakistan population growing at the
rate of 2.8% paper year, by the year 2025 it will be 232.9 million, while
per capita the cropping area will be reduced to 0.7 hectare. The existing
land will also suffer due to shortage of water which will reduced from
3,833 cubic meters to 1,643 cubic meters, per capita as a result even
when the land is available, it cannot be put under agriculture due to
shortage of water. At the same time cropped land will further be
reduced, due to increase in salinity and water logging. IN 1993 the
extent of water logging and salinity in Pakistan at 0-5 feet or 0-152
comes water table depth was 4,923,000 hectares while in Sindh it was
3,633,000 hectares. In 1993 extent of water logging and salinity at 0-10
feet or 0-305 cms water table depth was 9,186,000 hectares while in
Sindh it was 5,054,000 hectares.

It means only small portion of land will be left suitable for agriculture
having proper irrigation even this cultivated land will further be forced
by CO2 emission which in 1992 was 0.6 metric tons and climatic change
and global warming also bring the change in cropping pattern.
Switching over to new cropping pattern in a slow process.
It means Pakistan depend upon import of food. If we see the global
picture, the average production of cereals in the World in 1990-91 was
1,925,044,000 metric tons. It changed only by 18% change since 1980-
82. In 1990-92 the average yield of cereals in the World was 2,757
kilograms per hectare, while it was only 22% change, since 1980-82. If
we see a World picture of cereal production and yields in the past ten
years, the change is only 18-22%. Global population is project6ed to
reach 10 billion by the year 2025, so global agricultural production must
expand 2.5 - 3.0 times to provide an adequate diet to the World people.

The World per capita food production has dropped due to increases in
agricultural labor, reduced area under cultivation and shortage of
irrigation water. Advanced technologies and mechanization, advance
crop breeding practices need more input of fertilizers and pesticides.
The World food producing does not grow as fast as population increase.

This picture shows that biotechnology alone cannot feed the World we
also need other methods of production simultaneously discussed this
issue with the top agriculturist in Pakistan and according to them in
year 2025 the scientist may develop high potency vitamin and
nutritional tablets to cover malnutrition but no one knows that a kind
of gene may be evolved which would produce crop without the help of
soil, or may be a kind of gene is evolved which results into a well-
balanced diet. We may then need other types of raw materials, other
than agriculture based.
About the Auther
By Farzana Panhwar (Mrs)
The Sindh Rural Women's Up-lift Group
157-C, Unit No.2, Latifabad, Hyderabad
(Sindh), Pakistan.
farzanapanhwar@hotmail.com
Fax: 9221-5830826 and 92221-862570

I am a bio-chemist working in the field of organic agriculture and effects of pollution and
environment of human and animal and plant health.