Daily Times

President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Atif Ikram Sheikh has appointed Chaudhry Ahmad Jawad as Convener of the FPCCI Central Standing Committee on Agriculture for the year 2024-25.

The appointment of Ahmed Jawad was made in view of his vast experience in the field and he will succeed Chaudhry Muhammad Zaka Ashraf in the slot, a notification in this regard issued on Thursday.

The FPCCI president hoped that under the leadership of Ahmad Jawad, prompt recommendations will help FPCCI to address agriculture sector problems before the government.

Ahmad Jawad said to feed the ever-growing population, Pakistan needs around five percent consistent annual growth in the agriculture sector and the FPCCI hopes the incoming government will address agriculture issues in the federal budget.

He said that to meet challenge of achieving national food security and economic prosperity, a two-prong approach is required, i.e. vertical growth by increasing per acre yield of crops and horizontal growth by bringing more area under cultivation through corporate farming. He noted that Pakistan has the potential to bring around 22 million acres under cultivation by combining both vertical and horizontal approaches.

He said that currently country’s per acre yield was far less than the global average due to limited access of farmers to modern machinery and digital support services as Artificial Intelligence (AI) can revolutionize and revitalize the local agriculture sector, especially horticulture, while addressing the challenges of climate change, adapting to crop patterns, attracting talent and envisioning a positive impact on the sector.

Emphasizing the urgency of executing AI promptly, he termed it as the most significant step in the agriculture sector which needs to be inserted in Green Pakistan Initiative.

Both developed and developing countries have recognized the worthiness of data and are moving towards the digital revolution, Jawad noted and added “AI can help analyzing historical data, weather trends, and storage conditions to predict optimal harvest times and storage period for agriculture products.

FPCCI also believe that instead of viewing the agriculture sector simply as a provider of food for the poor, Pakistan must see it as an engine that can drive economic growth for the next few decades, he said.