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Bhutto’s Agrarian Reforms Osama Sohail Bhutto pointed out the sad neglect by past regimes of the all important agricultural sector of the economy and deplorable dependence on imported food grains. Pakistan in his era produced enough food grains to feed its own people apart from exporting cash crops. Osama Mir 12/27/2011

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Agrarian reform means to develop the patterns of agrarian configuration so as to perk

up the concentration of land fertility and to increase in GDP wealth of the country.

Agriculture reform is basically the improvement in the land by cultivating land, water

logging system and using modern agriculture tools and techniques.

Here is no as such a general definition for Agrarian reform but many people with diverse

thinking define it in their own way. The narrow version of this definition is that it

provides land to the landless. In a broader definition, it is a comprehensible program for

the transformation of the entire agricultural economy under the label of “Agrarian

Reform”. By Agrarian Reform we mean government-initiated redistribution of

agricultural land or an overall redirection of the agrarian system of the country, which

often includes land reform measures.

An agrarian reform brings with it severe kind of changes. In a society where primary

source of wealth, foundation of economic power is agriculture; there agrarian reform

system becomes an important institution that determines the economic and political

values of the country. In other words it is a public program which seeks to restructure

equitably and rationally an agriculture system which is compulsory, drastic, and rapid

means of economic growth. From the start till the completion of an agrarian reform

process, it is the government which plays the most vital role.

In the words of Bates D. Timothy, “In a very deep sense, an agrarian reform system is

powerful economic weapon for solving the problems of disparity in economic, social,

and political power”.

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President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in his very first speech on the night of 20 December, 1971,

declared that he would introduce various agriculture and economic reforms and his

declared objective being to put the social and economic system right. The reforms

introduced by the Government will reflect a radical change in respect of the

organization of the social and economic systems.

In Bhutto’s era, Early in his tenure Zulfikar Ali Bhutto announced that his agrarian

reforms would affect the lives of the common people of Pakistan more than any other

measure study by his socialist and populist regime. The potency attributed to agrarian

reform by Bhutto in rhetoric was said to be extra-ordinary. In Bhutto’s era, the reforms

were to restore 'dignity' and 'self-respect' to oppressed rural masses and provide for

their 'salvation', to crush the power of an 'opulent feudal class', and to facilitate the

modernization of agriculture, the core of the national economy. The argument that land

reforms could conceivably bring changes of such profound historical consequence

demands analytical attention.

For example: Into what the Pakistan’s agrarian system is going to transform in?

Almost seven years later, the martial law regime of Zia-ul-Haq issued a White Paper on

the performance of Bhutto's government charging that he has reduced land reforms and

damage to agrarian system are caused due to the former Government's poor agriculture

management, favoritism to landlords, corruption in agriculture departments and abuse

of power. But the economic survey indicates that after Bhutto death, military

commander in order to hide the disruption caused by him in agrarian system. Promoters

of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) called it the efficiency of Bhutto. Popular news

regarding this issue at that time was

“Bhutto's goodwill was pledged against eradicating feudalism via land reform”.

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In Bhutto Presidency Era (1971 – 1973) the agriculture percentage in the GDP of

Pakistan was 36.54 %.

In 1970 Bhutto pointed out the sad neglect by past regimes of the all important

agricultural sector of the economy and deplorable dependence on imported food grains.

Pakistan in his era produced enough food grains to feed its own people apart from

exporting cash crops.

In his tenure, agriculture has attained a level of self-sufficiency in food production

which left a long lasting effect on the economic provision on the country.

The production of: wheat was gone up from an average of 5.6 million tons in 1965-70 to

8.5 million tons in 1975-76; and rice from 1.7 million tons to 2.6 million tons.

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In Bhutto’s era agriculture had an enormous impact on Pakistan‘s Economy.

It provided occupation of farming to more than six hundred thousand farmers (600,000)

farms located within the two provinces of Punjab and Sindh. Pakistan’s economy overall

would suffer as well if agriculture in any of his province (either Punjab or Sindh) came to

an end to exist. Pakistan due to the combination of its ideal soil, climate, river and

agrarian system is one the world's largest system of fresh water. This Basin has more

than one hundred thousand square (100,000) miles of navigable water causing it to be

the centerpiece of this major agricultural region. This area would not be able to function

high economically if farming and agriculture were no longer a part of Bhutto’s political

party slogan “Food, Clothing and Shelter” (Roti, Kapra aur Makan).

The agrarian system of SWAT and parts of the NWFP were good examples of

agrarian systems in Pakistan. In the rest of Pakistan, certainly in the Punjab and the

canal colonies, the agrarian land was actually the producing a lot and has been a major

part of our GDP (as it was since the birth of Pakistan). These characteristics were

common in many agrarian networks of Pakistan and hold a high percentage share in

improving the financial and economic conditions of country. The fusion of politics,

agriculture and economy, State, cultivation and society, is crucial vital at the domestic

level for the survival; the economy is quite secondary. Mechanisms of agrarian system

control the economy and extend it beyond purely trade and industry resources.

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In Bhutto’s era, the following successful measures were taken to improve agrarian

system:-

(1) Financial allocations were raised from Rs. 212 million in 1971-72 to Rs. 1,336 million

in 1976-77.

(2) The areas covered by improved seeds were increased for wheat from 7.7 million

acres in 1970-71 to 10 million acres in 1975-76- and for rice from 1.3 million acres to 1.6

million acres.

(3) Fertilizer off take went; up from 308,000 nutrient tons in 1970-71 to 650,000

nutrient tons. Fertilizer off-take doubled from the past to 650,000 nutrient tones.

(4) Plant protection coverage has been increased from 4.2 million spray acres to over

10 million acres.

(5) Tractor imports have increased more than three-fold from 4000 in 1971-72; and in

addition, power tillers and rice trans-planters are being imported.

(6) The number of tube wells went up from 88,000 in 1971-72 to 145,000.

(7) Institutional credit was raised from Rs. 160 million in 1971-72 to Rs. 1,800 million in

1976-77. The Pass-book system was introduced to facilitate the flow of credit from the

financing institutions to the farmers.

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(8) Irrigation water availability at the farm gate was increased from 77 million acre feet

in 1970-71 to 101 million acre feet in 1976-77.

(9) The floor prices for all major and several minor agricultural commodities have been

revised upward.

(10) To ensure a reasonable return to growers of primary commodities, prices of phutti

and paddy have been fixed at Rs. 120-125/- per maund and Rs. 52/- for Basmati, Rs. 30/-

- for Irri 6 per maund. All cotton ginning units, all paddy husking units (except single

hullers), roller flour mills (6 rollers and above) have been taken under State control.

(11) Agricultural education, extension services and research was strengthened for the

reactionary forces in a country long dominated by the Right. The slogan of "Food,

Shelter and Clothing" shifted the focus of Pakistan politics from theological to economic

issues. This focus has never shifted back. Bhutto nationalized the commanding heights

of the economy; another blow to the capitalist West. During his tenure there was a

massive transfer of resources towards the dominant rural economy by setting higher

prices for agricultural products.

Now in the end of 2010, Pakistan is continuing to develop and

increase its competition in agrarian progress both domestic and

internationally (some East Asian countries). Today an

agriculture share of Pakistan in GDP is 21.79%.

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Pakistan’s democratic as well as military situation (After Bhutto’s death) during

the era of 1986 – 2006 in terms of economy (GDP) has been elaborated below.