Price Responsiveness of Marketed Surplus of Wheat in Pakistan
The crucial. role of the marketed surplus of foodgrains in the process of development has been generally recognized. A knowledge of the determinants of.the marketed quantities of food is essential for designing price and tax policies for the agricultural sector. This knowledge is required for estimating the food availability for the urban sector and for forecasting the required level of foodgrains imports in anyone year. In the caSe of crops wbich are wholly or almost wholly marketed the elasticities of output and market supply can be regarded as approximately equal. But in the case of crops a substantial part of whose output is retained by peasants for self consumption, the responsiveness of the marketed surplus must be measured separately from tbe responsiveness of output. Food crops in Pakistan constitute a major part of farm production and almost sixty per cent of grain output is. consumed by farm families themselves.
The Effect of a Change in Wheat Prices on Incomes
The effect of an exogenous change in wheat prices on the welfare of farmers, middlemen, consumers and the government is analysed in" a partial" equilibrium framework under a wide range of elasticity assumptions. The resulting computer simulations yield the tradeoffs for various policies. Although pareto optimality calls for equating the consumer, producer and international prices, this policy cannot be followed with abandon because of its adverse effects on consumers.
Water Quality Aspects of Irrigation and Drainage: Past History and Future Challenges for Civil Engineers
This paper presents a brief history of irrigation and drainage related to ASCE activities on its Jubilee. This paper discusses legislation and policies that affect irrigation and drainage practices, water quality constituents of increasing concern in irrigation and drainage practices, and presents a prognosis on the future of declining freshwater resources available for irrigated agriculture and growing water quality problems in irrigation and drainage. Civil engineers in ASCE’s Irrigation and Drainage Division have compiled an 80-year history of highly meritorious service and accomplishments. In the next millennium, civil engineers will face a formidable challenge in managing and protecting the precious freshwater resources in the U.S.