Mobilizing Communities for an Equitable World
The Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) is marking the “World Hunger Day’ on October 16, 2024 – a day which is marked by the United Nations as the World Food Day. However, the global data by the same esteemed organization gives a poor condition of food security, globally and in Pakistan, which has been ranked 109th out of 127 nations in …
Wheat as Food or Wheat as Lucre? The country is going through a period of dismal debt and economic crisis that is further worsened by the climate crisis. Government policies do not necessarily help in alleviating the dire situation. While the government had been expecting a bumper wheat crop, and directives were given for ‘good price’ for the farmers, and …
KARACHI: Highlighting the hazards of genetically modified (GM) crops, the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) has urged the National Biosafety Commission (NBC) to reject the proposal for commercialisation of two GM sugar cane crops. In a press release, the PKMT stated that it strongly opposed the recent move of the Technical Advisory Committee, operating under the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), …
Export, Starve, Export The current fiscal year (FY) has shown a consistent increase in export of raw food products. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the food export value has more than doubled to $787.36 million in January, up 105.29 per cent from $383.54m in the same month last year. Food exports grew 57.66 percent in the first seven …
Unabating Debt With the start of a new year, the situation in the country sees no real change in terms of economic stability. It is unfortunate that in 75 years, it has gone to the IMF 23 times for financial bailout programs. The State Bank of Pakistan has received the second tranche of $700 million, which is approximately equivalent to …
May 30, 2024: A Sustainable Production and Consumption Education (SPACE) program conducted at a Gulshan Public School in Karachi. Students participated in discussions on patriarchy, colonization, Pakistan’s debt, and climate change. Young people are our most valuable asset and must be a forward force in our development.
Corporate Agriculture – the Crux of the matter With the formation of Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), there has been heavy emphasis on promoting agro-chemical agriculture, with Green Revolution technologies considered markers for progress. The role of the Pakistan Army in SIFC remains dominant. In context to the project ‘Green Initiatives,’ the Pakistan Army Chief of Staff (COAS) has identified plans …
Agriculture production is the center of Pakistan’s economy is a fact and needs no reiteration. However, the sector is besieged by many ills of which the main is the consistent dependency on resources external to the country. There are many examples of such tendencies. According to the Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Dr Kauser Malik, Sino-Pak agricultural …
Asian Peasant Coalition’s Statement on the Day of the Landless 2024 2024 marks the 9th year since the Asian Peasant Coalition determined the 29th of March as global “Day of the Landless” to be annually commemorated in 2015. And despite the promise of improvement and development from the global north, the condition of landlessness persists and negligible changes have transpired …
The country’s economy is based on agricultural production. In Pakistan, out of 79.61 million hectares about 23.70 million hectares are under cultivation, of which a majority of situated in the Punjab and Sindh provinces. According to Professor Dr Ismail Kumbhar, Agriculture of Sindh Agriculture University, agriculture contributes about 19.5 per cent to the national gross domestic product (GDP) while providing …