KARACHI: Vice President and Chief Organiser of the Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) Chaudhry Ahmad Jawad said to feed the ever-growing population Pakistan needs around 5 percent consistent annual growth in the agriculture sector.
To meet this challenge of achieving national food security and economic prosperity, a two-prong approach is required, i.e. vertical growth – by increasing per acre yield of crops; and horizontal growth – by bringing more area under cultivation through corporate farming.
He stated these remarks while called upon President, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Atif Ikram on Saturday said that Pakistan has the potential to bring around 22 million acres by combining both vertical and horizontal approaches. Currently Country’s per acre yield is far less than the global average due to limited access of farmers to modern machinery and digital support services. In this regard PBF have a strong view that the Artificial Intelligence (AI) can revolutionise and revitalise the local agriculture sector, especially horticulture, while addressing the challenges of climate change, adapting crop patterns, attracting talent, and envisioning a positive impact on this sector.
He emphasise the urgency of executing AI promptly as the most significant step in the agriculture sector which needs to be inserted in Green Pakistan Initiative.
“Our policy makers often spend excessive time in meetings, discussions, and visualisations, delaying the execution of pragmatic approaches which is not suitable for agriculture.”
PBF official Jawad said both developed and developing countries are moving towards the digital revolution, recognising data as today’s equivalent of gold. AI can help analyse historical data, weather trends, and storage conditions to predict optimal harvest times and storage durations for crops. The AI-controlled storage facilities can be fine-tuned to maintain ideal humidity and temperature levels, significantly extending the freshness and shelf life of fruits and vegetables (F&V), resulting in an improved Return On Investments (ROI) for farmers with minimal resource use.”
FPCCI President, Atif Ikram said we must understand Pakistan’s economy cannot reach the desired level of seven to eight percent GDP growth unless its agriculture sector grows at more than four percent.
“Instead of viewing the agriculture sector as simply a provider of food for the poor, Pakistan must see it as an engine that can drive economic growth for the next few decades. But this can only be achieved if we are able to shatter and overcome some of the most common and ill-advised perceptions about the sector.”
President FPCCI further added agricultural is also widely linked to other sectors of the Pakistani economy because when agriculture moves, transport moves, milling moves, packaging moves, motorcycle sales move, etc.
The direct and indirect contribution of agriculture within the domestic economy was, in fact, estimated at around 45 percent.
FPCCI Chief also appreciated the government efforts to outline a series of initiatives to breathe new life into Pakistan’s agriculture sector.
These include the formulation of a national seed policy and the introduction of the Agriculture Development Authority Act to facilitate corporate farming in Pakistan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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