Agri entrepreneurship project launched at Sindh varsity

HYDERABAD: Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tandojam on Wednesday inaugurated a Business Incubation Center (BIC) to provide opportunities to its graduates for developing entrepreneurship at a wider scale. 

“Higher Education Commission (HEC), which is the brain-parent of this idea, has selected SAU for this project form the benefit of the fresh graduates,” said Dr Mujeebuddin Memon Sehrai, Vice Chancellor SAU, while addressing the inauguration ceremony. 

“Since we are an agriculture university, we have to link up with other stakeholders to promote agribusiness opportunities. It’s like an industry for the youth in which stakeholders, i.e., banks, financial institutions, growers, researchers, seed companies, and experts will run projects with us.”  Sehrai said that women entrepreneurs, intellectuals, civil society members, and progressive farmers will have to play their role to make this initiative successful.

“The situation is changing now. Everybody should realise that we have to follow the development paradigm and move to cash-generating ideas,” he said adding, “In fact there are challenges, but we have to move ahead with specific goal to promote entrepreneurship.” 

The SAU VC said he was hopeful the students would get proper orientation from experts in different fields of agribusiness for brightening their future through launching their own businesses.  On the occasion, Mehboob Ul Haq, CEO Sindh Enterprise Development Fund (SEDP), announced Rs10 million as the initial seed funding for the project. “In these days economic opportunities have undergone a lot of changes and the agriculture should now be looking beyond the old concepts,” Haq said adding “Agriculture is a major commercial sector, which needs more and more attention at every level.”   

He said the agriculture has more potential and needs manpower with new ideas. “For launching any small business money is required. SEDP comes here to encourage viable proposals for funding for entrepreneurs,” the SEDP chief observed.

Dr Zulfiqar Yousfani, a representative of Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB), said presently job markets were riddled with problems and should not be depended on. “Launch your own small business. This initiative will definitely help fresh graduates for launching entrepreneurship on their own,” Yousfani said. He said agriculture was itself a larger business. “In fact the people at many levels do not recognise this sector as business, but the fact is that those landholders, who invest more for agribusiness, earn more and in many cases the profit goes beyond the expectations.   

Prof Ismail Kumbhar, the focal person of the university, said the BIC project would encourage students to get involved in business activities. “This important center will provide advises to the students and graduates to develop their entrepreneurship, micro finance programmes and training assistance,” said Kumbhar. He said the BIC has the support of grower bodies, industries, banks, while experts from different fields would guide the students for their business expertise for the success. 

Zulfiqar Halepoto, a member of the civil society, who has a wider contribution in training youth on enterprise development in Sindh province, said the university should produce graduates with the motivation to have their business and entrepreneurship. “The world is moving towards entrepreneurship, which is the only way out to encourage youth to have own businesses instead of waiting for the jobs opportunities,” Halepoto stressed.  In fact, he said, agriculture was a major economic source, but now there were more models and entrepreneurship would bridge the gap. “This concept will be the paradigm shift in the society in Sindh,” Halepoto remarked.