Islamabad, Recognizing the paramount importance of the agricultural sector, the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives has intensified efforts to execute projects related to agriculture. Several projects, funded in billions, have been designated for the agriculture sector under the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) for this fiscal year. The initiatives come as Pakistan aims to harness its substantial potential for foreign investments in agriculture, a sector that significantly influences its GDP and employment rate.
According to a news release by the Press International Department, agriculture stands as a top priority, especially after the establishment of SIFC earlier this year. The council’s mandate is to lure both foreign and local investments, focusing on five primary sectors: Agriculture, Defense Production, Mining/Minerals, Information Technology and Telecommunication, and Energy.
A slew of projects have been announced, which encompass a wide array of agricultural needs and innovations. These include but are not limited to: Cage Culture Cluster Development, Commercialization of Potato Tissue Culture in Pakistan, and National Peste Des Petits Ruminants Eradication Programme. The ambitious Prime Minister’s Initiatives for Green Revolution 2.0, funded at Rs 5000 million, seeks to address several agricultural challenges. Its goals include promoting technology to curtail post-harvest losses, bolstering productivity of major crops, involving women and youth in agricultural entrepreneurship, and supporting agricultural research. The Green Revolution initiative recalls the 1960s’ efforts that played a pivotal role in Pakistan’s economy by averting widespread famine.
Recognizing the potential to expand food product exports, which is currently curtailed by stringent international standards, the government has initiated the Horticulture Support Program with a Rs 1000 million budget. This initiative aims to address the challenges faced by the horticulture sector by minimizing field and post-harvest losses, and enhancing the horticultural value chain through robust public-private collaborations.
Furthering the drive towards sustainable energy in agriculture, the Prime Minister’s National Programme for Solarization of Agricultural Tubewells is set to kickstart with a budget of Rs 377,017m. The project envisions the conversion of 100,000 tubewells to solar power over the span of three years.
Additionally, the government has inaugurated the Land Information and Management System, Center of Excellence (LIMS-CoE). This center’s objective is to bolster modern agro-farming, utilizing over 9 million hectares of untilled state land. Leveraging state-of-the-art technology, the center aims to improve agricultural yield, optimize decision-making, and provide farmers with real-time, essential information, minimizing the influence of intermediaries in the process.