We can bring about agricultural revolution, says PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Monday said timely availability of good quality seed, fertilisers and pesticides would bring about a revolution in the field of agriculture, resulting in increased exports.

He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Seed Potato Production and Aeroponics Complex, established with the assistance of South Korea for indigenising seed potato production using advanced technology. He thanked Korea for helping Pakistan in setting up the complex for production of potato seed. Korea has a strong economy and Pakistan wanted cooperation with it in different sectors, he added.

The premier stressed that federal and provincial governments should work together to provide inputs to farmers at reasonable rates to strengthen agriculture. The prime minister said Pakistani farmer was hardworking and capable and worked in all kinds of weather, and with the use of modern seed, the production of potato would increase. “Our farmer needed best seeds, fertilizers and genuine pesticides,” he added.

He emphasized that agriculture graduates should be provided suitable environment so that they could contribute in the development of agriculture sector. The prime minister said the Minister for Food Security and his team should focus on the progress of agriculture sector. “About 65 per cent of our population in rural areas was associated with agriculture,” he noted.

“We have to increase the share of agriculture in the country’s economy. We have to enhance share of production of cotton, sugarcane and other crops,” he added. PM Shehbaz said, “If we make progress with dedication, we will be ahead of other countries in the agriculture sector. We are sending 1000 agriculture graduates to China for training.”

He urged the minister for food security to focus on the local manufacturing of agriculture machinery including combined harvester. The prime minister appreciated researchers and scientists of Pakistan Agriculture Research Council for their dedication and hard work to promote agriculture. Due to efforts of these researchers, agriculture of the country would make progress, he said and added efforts should be intensified for promotion of small and medium enterprises in the rural areas.

“We have to take steps for storage and transportation of vegetables and fruits,” he continued. The PM said farmers should focus on value addition by making use of fruits and vegetables in abundant supply.

He said Pakistan was wasting precious foreign exchange reserves on export of $4.5 billion of palm oil and there was a need to reverse the trend by increasing local production. Pakistan’s livestock sector also had immense potential, he said adding, “We need to put our act together to take part in the progress of the country. We have to work hard to change our agriculture sector.”

Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Monday ordered a third-party audit of the Ramazan relief package to ensure transparency and effectiveness. He also directed telecom companies and banks to enhance their awareness campaigns about the package and called for a comprehensive report on their outreach efforts.

Chairing a review meeting on his Ramazan Relief Package 2025, he said amounts under the Ramazan relief package were being transferred to the beneficiaries through a highly convenient and transparent digital wallet system, and the model should be adopted for other government-run schemes.

The premier said the package had been introduced across Pakistan, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir without any discrimination, and lauded the efforts of the State Bank of Pakistan, National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), and technological institutions in ensuring transparency in the package.

The meeting was attended by ministers, special assistants, Nadra and PTA chairmen, relevant government officials, and representatives of private companies related to the Ramazan relief package, according to the PM Office Media Wing.

During the meeting, a briefing was given on the progress of the Ramazan Relief Package 2025. So far, 63 per cent beneficiaries had received the relief payment, while complete documentary records were available about the distribution of all amounts.

The meeting was apprised that a total of 2,224 employees had been deployed for the Ramazan relief package. More than 1.5 million beneficiaries were contacted via telephone calls.