Having a special day for farmers means to recognize and honour their important role and contributions to the national economy. On the occasion of the second ‘Kissan Day’, Daily Pakistan surveyed the general public to seek their suggestions and ideas regarding the importance of small scale farmers and how their economic conditions can be improved. All the respondents lauded the ‘Salam Kissan, Sarsabz Pakistan’ initiative, through which a day was dedicated to them and stressed on the need for better farmer-friendly policies to facilitate the farming community.
In its second year, the celebration of Kissan Day has successfully drawn the attention of policymakers towards empowering our farmers who are the nation’s asset and a key driving force towards enabling growth and prosperity of this sector but tend to end up at the bottom, not only of the food chain but also of the economic and financial pyramid. Since 90% of the small farmers own less than 12 acres of land, therefore, overall crop production decreases while the cost of production for these small-scale farmers increases substantially.
Their challenges are further aggravated by the lack of timely application of inputs for which they have to knock the doors of Artis, who charge massive interests on borrowed amounts. This further reduces their profitability and pushes them toward the abyss of poverty. Lack of market access adds up to their woes as they have no idea how to sell their products independently, whereas the middleman mafia exploits them for this reason by paying them less than the market rate.
Sarsabz Fertilizer has been active since a long time advocating on giving due importance and recognition to Pakistan’s underserved farmers, not only to curb the national food security challenges on the face of constantly increasing population and food demand but also to economically elevate their status. It took the lead in 2019 through its ‘Salam Kissan’ initiative for acknowledging the efforts of the small farmers by becoming their voice to highlight their issues and contribute to the economic prosperity and marking December 18 as ‘Kissan Day’.
Sarsabz Fertilizers is working relentlessly to transform their current challenges into growth opportunities while drawing the attention of the corporate sector and policymakers to their plight and due recognition. On this day, the company also reiterates its pledge to make this day more meaningful for small farmers with each passing year by working towards it and letting it serve as a constant reminder for the nation to appreciate the role of farmers in their daily lives.
Salam Kissan, Sarsabz Pakistan!
