UNISAME URGES PROVINCIAL BANKS TO PROMOTE FARM ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) invited the attention of the provincial governments to financing the SME farmers and called for focus on promotion of food, agriculture and livestock to feed the ever increasing population of the country and promotion of farm entrepreneurship for self employment.

President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver speaking as guest on a local television channel emphasized the need for the promotion of agriculture, agribased industries and livestock on modern lines to meet the growing demand of the masses.

He said our soil needs nourishment and it is regretted that day by day the yield is reducing due to lack of modern irrigation, cultivation and plantation techniques. Secondly the government needs to promote and develope the agibased industries scientifically.

The yield in our neighbouring country is much higher in almost all the produce items mainly because of the modern systems adopted by the farm sector.

He said in other countries when the crop is handsome the growers reinvest their money in the fields for improvement in farm production, building warehouses and buying farm equipment whereas in our country the feudal land owners resort to buying luxury vehicles, marrying again and indulging in pleasure activities.

Our landowners borrow amounts from the financiers before the harvest and then are subjected to domination of the financiers who also act as the middlemen in the disposal of the crops. They also charge their financing interest and over and above they buy the produce on cash from the growers at lower rates than those prevailing in the market.

The provincial governments need to facilitate the SME farmers by financing them for improvement of yield by purchasing farm equipments, tractors, harvesters, building of warehouses and purchase of income generating vehicles on the mortgage of the land.

There is vast scope in cattle farming, sheep breeding, animal husbandry and cattle fattening besides poultry and fish farming. There is urgent need for the promotion of the livestock by caring for the meat resources animals and nourishing and breeding them under proper health care
It is unfortunate that the provincial banks of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are only financing the influential members of the assembly and their connections on arid land holdings and not financing the SME farmers who are capable of producing and improving farm efficiency and meeting the needs of the growing population.

Posted in: Press Releases