Daily Times

KARACHI: To commemorate the celebration of World Water Day, Nestlé Pakistan joined hands with the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) to highlight water wastage issues faced by the country owing to poor agriculture practices.

The event marked the official inauguration of a project to find solutions to avoid water wastage in agricultural practices, focusing on finding innovative answers for efficient and effective water management.

World over, about 70 percent of water is used in agriculture. In Pakistan, that percentage stands at 90 percent, with 50 percent wastage due to poor irrigation methods. This wastage of water needs to end by means of better practices to save the generation from water scarcity. Under this partnership, Nestlé Pakistan is enhancing PARC’s technical capacity through installation of drip irrigation systems which is a proven way to revive and increase crop production. The delivery line network would cover around six acre crop site. The site will model best practices by using innovative methods and environmental friendly technology to boost and enhance crop production through minimum use of water. Furthermore, this project will serve as knowledge hub for farmers visiting the research centre on drip irrigation.

Whilst inaugurating the project, Minister of National Food Security & Research Federal Secretary Fazal Abbas Makan who was also the chief guest at the occasion, said that water scarcity was a huge challenge “we faced today”.

However, instead of focusing on the negatives, “we should focus on the positive and utilise the opportunities present in addressing this challenge. This partnership between PARC and Nestle Pakistan is an excellent example of how two relevant organs of state can come together and work on something which is beneficial for all”, he said.

PARC Chairperson Dr Yousaf Zafar said that “our partnership with Nestlé Pakistan is an excellent example of the role public-private partnerships can play in addressing the water challenge being faced by Pakistan. There is great inefficient water use in agriculture and we are hopeful that this collaboration will serve as a knowledge sharing platform on moving towards sustainable agriculture. By adopting innovative techniques such as drip irrigation systems, furrow-bed and sprinkler systems, the precious and scarce water resources can be saved and used efficiently on farm. Through our collaboration, we can show farmers how they can achieve sustainable agricultural production and improve crop yield”.

Nestle Pakistan Corporate Affairs Head Waqar Ahmad said that water was a shared resource and the best way to protect it was by adopting a multi-stakeholder collaborative approach. “Nestlé Pakistan’s Water Plan is part of our commitment towards Sustainable Development Goal 6, ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation reducing the use of water chain for all. Pakistan being primarily an agriculture country, is at an even greater need to adopt water efficient practices. Our partnership with PARC is key in helping achieve this and in educating communities on how to use water efficiently particularly in agriculture,” he said.

Nestle Pakistan Business Executive Officer Khurram Zia said, “Nestlé Pakistan recognises that in order to ensure a significant water saving, we need to help farmers improve their water management and reduce their water use through high-efficiency irrigation techniques as well as new technologies.”

Published in Daily Times, April 12^th 2018.