Pakistan Army is desperate to attract investments amidst the ongoing economic crisis in the South Asian nation. It is likely to sanction a large scale corporate farming policy under the Green Pakistan Initiative that would also facilitate farming revolution if everything goes according to the plan.
Pakistan is looking to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) after a series of poor economic output fiscals. The Pakistan economy is failing amidst inflations reaching higher rates throwing a chunk of Pakistanis into the poverty line. Even the central and provincial government’s debt has increased to astronomical levels due to borrowings which are a direct result of the poor economic output in the nation.
Pakistan Army which has the ultimate control over the proceedings in Pakistan is looking towards the Agricultural revolution through a Corporate Farming approach. A new opportunity has arisen amid the rolling sand dunes of Punjab’s Cholistan desert. The Green Pakistan Initiative was launched in July last year in accordance with the Pakistan Army’s plan for the farming revolution.
The key stakeholder in Pakistan has decided to lease the state-controlled lands to foreign entities under a corporate farming scheme. However, in such a setup, the Pakistan Army would still have the majority of the stake and they will also have a say in the leasing of the lands to foreign entities. Pakistan Army will decide the leasing process which opens up the arena for favoritism and most importantly corruption.
Council set under the Green Pakistan Initiative has recommended the Army to target friendly Middle Eastern countries as they are always short on food grains due to geographical conditioning. The main plan is to seek funds from foreign entities or companies from the Middle East and initiate corporate farming on state-controlled lands which could help in the generation of huge profits for Pakistan.
As much as 4.8 million acres of land could be used for corporate farming by the Pakistan Army. However, climate change and changing weather patterns produce a challenge. Pakistan already faced flash floods last year while many regions also went through the problem of drought. Pakistan is not a surplus food grain nation and such a move of corporate farming from the Pakistan Army could create another chaotic domestic situation in the South Asian nation.