Obwohl Verbesserungen der Infrastruktur in Entwicklungsländern wichtige Voraussetzungen für Produktionssteigerungen und Verbesserung der Lebensqualität sind, stellt der Bau von Straßen allein - so folgert der Autor aus seiner Untersuchung über Nepal - noch keine Garantie für solche Verbesserungen dar. (DÜI-Xyl)
In the 1980s, Pakistan's wheat policies taxed its producers and subsidised its consumers. Moreover, the post-rationing, open-ended system of releases has increased the burden on the government budget. The Government now faces severe shortages of resources at a time when human capital and physical infrastructure must be developed and maintained. This paper reviews wheat price policies in Pakistan and,patterns of wheat consumption over time, and makes recommendations for policy changes. Wheat is the dominant rabi, or winter, crop. However, about half the wheat is grown after cotton. Most of this wheat is planted late and yields substantially less than it could if planted earlier because the producer price and profitability of wheat are depressed by government policies. While cotton prices are also depressed by the Government, cotton, and in particular a fourth picking, remains highly profitable, even with new, earlier varieties. CIMMYT studies have shown that wheatcotton farmers are rational in planting wheat late, given the prices they receive. 1 The average wheat yield has risen since the Green Revolution, due to the adoption of HYVs. However, the yields of HYVs have not risen, After they harvest their wheat, farmers can sell it to the Government (namely to the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASS CD) or the provincial food departments) at the procurement price, or to a private trader at the market price. Thus two prices prevail in the market at any given time. Wheat moves through both channels primarily because of differences in quality.