Burning issues
Munir uz Zaman / driknews
At present the world's leading industrialised countries are reeling under three serious economic problems namely food, fuel and USA's financial turmoil. The chain-effects of these happenings have encompassed the entire world. Unprecedented inflationary pressure on all consumer commodities has made common peoples' lives miserable. The very edifice of global economy nay human civilisation so painstakingly built through ages has come near collapse. This world wide catastrophe is chiefly for the following reasons: a) Shortage of supply of food grains to feed the billions of world population. b) Shortage of supply of fuel to run the wheels of world economy. c) Inequitable global trade regime. d) Protectionist policy by some emerging and developed economies. e) Bio-fuel production for which massive quantity of grains is used. One World Bank report indicates 75% of price hike of food grain is caused by bio-fuel production, it also pointed an accusing finger towards USA, some European countries and Brazil. f) Acute greenhouse carbon gas emission causing irreparable damage to ecological balance triggering natural calamities like cyclone, flood, earthquake, Sunami, Sidr etc in which a huge number of human lives, plants, animals and habitats perished, the perpetrators of this event are some developed and semi-developed countries. g) Geo-political jitters in different world regions mainly in the Middle East and recently Iran. In this global situation, its effect on us is simply appalling. We fall an easy victim to this situation which is not of our making. Inflationary pressure on essential food items is affecting us most, like any other country. We know that cereal is not an easily available commodity nowadays for the above mentioned reasons anywhere in the world, even if some quantity is available for importation its price is highly prohibitive. So, we have no other alternative but to attain food autarky. Traditional farming method in our limited farming area vis-à-vis ever growing population will not do that. We have to adopt knowledge based farming, apply HYV seed, drought/flood resistant plant-seeds, high-tech farming implements, ensure timely supply of fertilisers, diesel, pesticides to augment per acre yield by at least 3/4 times etc. I have firm conviction that we do not have any lack of resources, be it human, financial or otherwise to achieve this top-priority national goal within a very short period of time. We can not afford to wait for tomorrow to let it happen.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments