'We are going to introduce cotton seeds of BT varieties which will revolutionise cotton farming in Pakistan,' CEO Tara Group

BR Research sat down with the CEO of Tara Group, Dr Khalid Hameed who is a veteran of the agro industry in Pakistan. He completed his PhD in crop protection from Imperial College, University of London. Dr Khalid has developed and introduced a large number of top quality chemistry products in the Asia pacific region. He possesses vast experience at senior level positions in renowned multinational's as well as national groups.

<B>BR Research: Please tell us about the history of the Tara group and its composition.</B>

<B>Dr Khalid Hameed:</B> Tara Group Pakistan has become a key player in the agricultural sector of Pakistan and has made remarkable accomplishments to become an emerging leader in agro industry of the country within a brief period of time. Tara Group commenced its business by establishing Flojo International in the year 2000. Tara Group activities found its remarkable momentum with the setting up of Tara Packages in 2008.

Subsequently, Agro Division of Tara Group started its operations in 2012 and a joint venture took place with Nazir Traders. The division focused on building and operating a state-of-the-art micro fertilizer and pesticide formulation plant on an area of eight acres near Sundar Industrial Estate Lahore. Currently Tara Group Pakistan comprises of Tara Crop Sciences, Tara Imperial Industries, Imperial Agro Sciences, Tara Seeds, Tara Packages, Nazir Traders and Flojo International Companies.

<B>BRR: Could you please tell us about your product portfolio and the services Tara Group offers?</B>

<B>DKH:</B> Tara Crop Sciences has always been providing profitable and cost effective advanced technology to farmers through its highly qualified and experienced technical professionals. We have market oriented approach that focuses on innovation for meeting personalized customer needs. To achieve goal a strong franchise network of over 600 Tara Zarai Markaz has been established throughout the country.

The network supplies high quality seeds, international quality pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, micronutrients and micro-macro fertilizers. We also provide farm advisory services to disseminate latest crop technology through our model research farms as well as demo plots production activities to the farmers by reviving the concept of one stop solution and service provider.

Currently we are manufacturing and distributing more than one hundred registered & branded products to farmers. These include 16 fungicides, 30 herbicides, 5 granules, 36 insecticides & 20 miscellaneous quality agro chemicals for major & minor crops.

<B>BRR: Could you please shed some light on Tara Group's revenue generation over the past years?</B>

<B>DKH:</B> We achieved very impressive turnover which amounted to Rs 2.40 billion in 2013, Rs 3.00 billion in 2014 and Rs 3.80 billion in 2015. This phenomenal growth asserts our standing as a leading company in the agro chemical industry of Pakistan.

<B>BRR: How important is the role of the laboratory in your line of work and what kind of investment does it entail?</B>

<B>DKH:</B> The laboratory serves as the prime tool in our field of work and the quality of our lab is the distinguishing factor between us and other pesticide companies. We do not rely on a copying mechanism which results in incorrect dose application based on characteristics of other regions. Rather, we focus on testing and formulating the correct dose application based on local factors such as pests, environmental and weather conditions and ensuring stability of our product.

Naturally then setting up the lab is the biggest cost when setting up a factory and outweighs the investment of building infrastructure and plant machinery. All the research and development depends on the quality of the lab therefore having a modern internationally recognised lab has been our focus.

Tara Group has also achieved another remarkable milestone by qualifying for accreditation of its pesticide & fertilizer labs for a wide range of products under International Standards ISO / IEC 17025:2005 from the Pakistan National Accreditation Council. This highlights the dedication of Tara Group when it comes to providing high quality products. We were the pioneers in achieving this feat as no other company's lab has yet achieved accreditation of these international standards such of a wide range of pesticide and fertiliser products from PNAC (Pakistan National Accreditation Council).

This will allow us to produce international quality pesticides and fertilizer products at our modern chemical formulation plant using top quality assurance laboratories equipped with cutting-edge equipment and experienced technical staff. Our plant is one of the largest in the country with an aggregate capacity of about 10 million bottles and 5 million units of powder and granule filling.

<B>BRR: Research and development, especially in areas such as hybrid seeds and genetics is highly needed in Pakistan. Is Tara Group addressing that need?</B>

<B>DKH:</B> We have developed a large number of new chemistry molecules which are cost effective and environmental friendly. These will allow farmers to enhance their yields per acre by 15 to 20 percent for major and minor crops. Moreover, these new formulations will also help to decrease the cost of production for farmers by at least 10 percent.

Seed research is crucial in cultivating a good crop and importance of good quality seed cannot be emphasized enough. Tara Group has set up seed research farms at Kala Shah Kaku, Mianchannu, Sahiwal and Bahawalpur which follow advanced scientific research and development to develop high yielding good quality seed. They will also disseminate technology to farmers which will cover all climatic zones and conditions of the country.

Tara Group has also entered into joint venture pacts with Chinese, Turkish, American and Mexican based multi-nationals to develop and market two high yielding corn hybrid seeds for maize and silage production. In addition, the focus will also be on developing two rice hybrid seeds and two watermelon hybrid seeds. These seeds are becoming popular among the farmers because of their promising yield potential suitability to local climatic conditions.

<B>BRR: The agro industry in Pakistan has its fair share of problems. In your view what are the main challenges faced by this sector?</B>

<B>DKH:</B> The extraordinary incentives given to the farmers by the government in the current year's budget are highly commendable but the growth of agriculture sector requires long term reforms and an effective agriculture policy that needs to be implemented on a priority basis. If the government is serious in strengthening the national economy the development resources for the agriculture sector should be allocated according its due share in the GDP.

There also needs to be a comprehensive water policy which focuses on constructing large and small dams on war footing basis to overcome the acute shortage of water for irrigation as well as ending the energy crisis. I also believe that rapid construction of housing projects on fertile agricultural lands is also a great threat to the national food security. Pakistan's economy cannot be sustained without disseminating latest technology to small farmers and developing effective agriculture marketing systems for ensuring better rates for their agricultural produce.

<B>BRR: What are your expansion plans for the future and which areas will you be focusing upon?</B>

<B>DKH:</B> Tara Group aims to achieve a turnover of Rs 10 billion in the next five years. Our focus is on developing and introducing cotton seeds of B.T. varieties which is a genetically modified organism (GMO) cotton variety. This would help in revolutionizing the per acre yield of cotton and ensure increased income for local farmers.

Tara group is also interested in developing effective and environmentally safe molecules and novel genetics to enhance the yield of the farmers. Another area we will be expanding into is developing high yielding seeds varieties of major & minor crops which have better resistance against rapidly changing climatic conditions.

We realise the need for training of farmers and will continue providing guidance through demo and farmers day events. This will ensure better knowledge amongst farmers regarding use of latest agro-technology. Tara Group would also strive for improving its business status as a leading Pakistani Multinational Company.