(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.