2009-07-02 12:29:52

Pakistan Caritas slams corporate farming


(July 02, 2009) The Catholic Church's social service agency in central Pakistan has protested a government initiative of inviting foreign companies to invest in local farms. Caritas Pakistan-Multan organized a press conference and later a protest rally to criticize the government's plan of attracting multinational companies to invest in corporate farming. Protesters included more than 500 farmers, half of them Christians. The June 29 events were co-sponsored by three other civil society organizations. Waqar Ahmed Khan, the federal Minister for Investment, had assured investors from the Persian Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, that they could avail themselves of crops even in the case of a food deficit in Pakistan. The government plan allows mega corporations to dominate the food industry and exempts them from land and water taxes. The plan, announced in May, has caused unrest among local farmers. The government is planning to lease about 6 million acres (about 2.5 million hectares) to multinational firms. Agriculture constitutes a vital sector of the economy in a country where traditional farming methods are still practiced. Corporate farming, which involves cultivation with the use of heavy machinery, is not presently conducted. Starting in 1986, Caritas Pakistan-Multan has been encouraging farmers to use natural fertilizers as well as helping them in areas such as advocacy and education.







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