Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have inaugurated the nations first corporate farm as part of the Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI) to modernize agricultural practices in the country.
It is a one-of-a-kind agricultural system spread over 2,250 acres at Khanewal which is planned to be expanded under a robust development plan in the next five years.
Experts have cautioned that Pakistan’s plans to lease out 4.4 million acres of land for corporate farming will not address food security or boost the agricultural economy unless population control measures are implemented.
Javed Jabbar, a former senator, stressed the urgent need to expand access to family planning clinics, increase awareness, and make contraceptives widely available to curb the population explosion.
While the land lease initiative could generate new jobs, improve nutrition, and enhance exports, it is unlikely to significantly reduce population growth, which remains a pressing issue.
Another expert emphasized the importance of focusing on population control, citing the population growth disparity between Pakistan and Bangladesh since independence. Controlling the population is crucial as it threatens to strain limited resources and hinder development efforts.
In response to these concerns, the Population Program Wing of the Ministry of Health Services, in collaboration with the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, is organizing a two-day National Conference titled “Resilient Pakistan: Calibrating Population and Resources” at the Supreme Court.
The conference aims to address the challenges identified in the 2017 Population and Housing Census, such as poverty, out-of-school children, stunted growth, and maternal mortality.
The growing population has also contributed to environmental challenges and impacted sectors like education, employment, and national finances.
The Supreme Court took Suo Moto notice in 2018, establishing a National Task Force on Population and Family Planning to tackle the consequences of rapid population growth.
The Task Force developed recommendations endorsed by the Supreme Court and approved by the Council of Common Interest.