By Bushra Makhdoom
LAHORE: Secretary General (Federal) of the Businessmen Panel, Ahmad Jawad said technology and agriculture would be the key areas to stable Pakistan economy on a longer term and for that we have to invest in these sectors.
Speaking at seminar on agri transformation, Jawad said country have a population of more than 20 crore and in order to cope this challenge to save our generation the government needs to think realistically that what sectors could save us from food security till employment generation for the people of this country.
Though it’s the responsibility of the government to provide reasonable employment opportunities to every citizen in the light of our constitution but yet it had failed at every extent from last couple of years.
If Government will uplift the agriculture sector in real terms it helps a great revolution in economic as well as well being terms; as 50% of the population is directly or indirectly linked with this sector. “If country’s agriculture may flourish the country may flourish”; he added.
Jawad further said one should not forget that agriculture sector has remained as a mainstay of our economy. Though it still stands as a technologically backward sector. Despite its high importance to the economy, little has been done to revive the sector. From production challenges to financing inefficiencies, Pakistan agriculture is plagued by several issues. Inadequate farm equipments, lack of access to fairly priced credit, distribution challenges due to intermediaries between farm to fork are some of the challenges faced by farmer. Farmers are the sole risk bearers of all these challenges that arise in the farming cycle. Be it lack of quality tools, erratic monsoons or pest outbreaks, farmers have to face it all without any risk mitigation among other stakeholders.
The former FPCCI official also reiterated that we live in a world where technology is at the heart of our everyday lives. Similar to the transformations in other sectors, technology is sure to shape farming practices. Technology can transform Pakistan’s agriculture by addressing challenges related to quality, quantity, distribution and storage”.
