LAHORE: Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) Vice President Chaudhry Ahmad Jawad praised the government’s historic initiative and the Pakistan Army’s special focus on revolutionizing the agricultural sector through the promotion of cutting-edge technology, collaboration between the public and private sectors, and dividends distributed to local farmers to alleviate poverty. Talking to the media here Tuesday, he said Green Pakistan Initiative would be the country’s second green revolution, paving the way for progress and prosperity. In Pakistan’s agricultural sector, billion-dollar investments are anticipated within the next four to five years. He said the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations import US $ 40 billion worth of agricultural and food products annually.
Under the supervision of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), for which the ground has been prepared, the government intends to attract investment in the amount of billions of dollars into Pakistan’s agriculture sector from the GCC nations. In addition to the creation of four million new jobs, there would be an investment of approximately US $ 40 billion over the next four to five years, he added. “The second Green Insurgency is tied in with making farming the significant driver of our monetary development, prompting food security that builds up our public safety”. He mentioned, “We are importing in $4.5 billion worth of palm oil. We’re an emerging nation we can’t spend such a gigantic sum on palm oil. Pakistan used to produce more cotton than our neighbor, but today we are behind in cotton, wheat and other agricultural products.”
Ahmad Jawad said that Pakistan produces great Basmati rice but now it has many competitors. “In a year or two, our agri-based economy will be revived. We will not have to seek further loans but investors will come by themselves,” he hoped. The PBF Vice President said that Land Information Management System – Centre of Excellence (LIMS – COE) will definitely support the new shape of Pakistan agriculture sector and will also focus on transforming how farming is done in Pakistan with a view to optimizing agricultural output for improving domestic food security and creating exportable surplus for the Gulf states and China. The (Geographic Information System) GIS-based initiative aims to make use of 22 million acres of uncultivated state land and improve modern agro-farming.
Under LIMS, the government anticipates significant investments in agriculture from China and the Gulf. In a similar vein, it may be the first multifaceted strategy to simultaneously address pressing agricultural issues: developing food uncertainty, a flooding food and rural import bill and reducing send out excess. It is anticipated that the new plan’s success will significantly address these issues. Jawad said there is no doubt that the government needs to encourage the utilisation of uncultivated state land to boost crops area. Besides investing in swathes of wasteland to make them cultivable, he said and added that it must also put a stop to the encroachment of agricultural lands by sprawling housing schemes. But a lot is required to be done to ensure food security and create exportable agricultural surplus. The LIMS initiative is only the first step, he added.