Pakistan Army enters into 'corporate farming', gets 45,267 acres from Punjab govt

As Pakistan spirals further into economic and political instability, the caretaker Punjab government has signed an agreement to hand over around 45,267 acres of land to the army for 'corporate agriculture farming'.  

The Pakistan military's land directorate recently wrote to the state government and sought 42,724-acre land in the Bhakkar district, 1,818 acres in Khushab, and 725 acres in Sahiwal, the country's daily Dawn reported.

Citing a Punjab government notification dated February 20, 2023, and a joint venture agreement signed on March 8, the letter reminded that it was decided the lands should be immediately handed over to the Pakistan Army. The joint venture has been signed between the military, the Punjab government, and private firms dealing in corporate farming.

A letter accessed by Dawn stated, "While signing the JV management agreement on March 8, it was decided that state lands immediately required for the project be handed over to Pakistan Army."

Pakistani military sources stated that the army will utilise its resources to manage the projects, which will be managed by retired army officers.

They further explained that the army was not taking over any land but ensuring 'a coherent administrative structure'. The private sector will invest and provide support including the supply of fertilisers.

According to officials, the Pakistan Army will not reap any benefits and 40 per cent of the revenue from the project will go to the Punjab government whereas 20 per cent will go towards research and development (R&D) in the agriculture sector. The remaining revenue will be used for succeeding crops and the expansion of the project.

Pakistani military sources also told the daily that the agricultural sector's growth rate went down from 4 per cent in 1960 to 2.5 per cent in 2022 given ineffective policies, climate change, and population boom. Different variants of pulses, millets, and rice will be cultivated in the first phase of this project, followed by large-scale cultivation of wheat and canola.

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