LAHORE: The eighth Dawn Food and Agri Expo attracted a large number of people on its concluding day at the Johar Town Expo Centre here on Friday.

Around four dozen international and local companies set up their pavilions at the two-day exhibition visited by a large number of farmers, students of agriculture universities and institutes, academia, professionals and others associated with food, livestock and agriculture.

Exhibitors displayed their latest products and technologies like agriculture and livestock implements, cattle feed, seeds and fertilizers, while banks and insurance companies had also set up their stalls to inform the visitors about their products and services and how they could apply and take advantage of agriculture loans and insurance schemes.

Bilal Ahmed, a young proprietor of a model farm close to Sheikhupura, says he was visiting the expo in the hope of finding a good Basmati rice seed. He asserts that expos like the one organized by Dawn serve a good cause as farmers, the biggest stakeholders of the agriculture sector, could get all required information at one platform.

Muhammad Siddiq, farmer from Kanganpur, Kasur district, has been visiting the expo for the last four years either to purchase fruit plants for reasonable rates or place orders some machine for his farm. This year he bought falsa plants from the expo for his orchards which so far contain only guava trees.

Milking machines of various capacities on sale by different companies are another attraction at the expo.

Ahsan, livestock farmer, says he purchased a small unit for his farm the previous year and now as he has expanded his dairy business in the meantime, he is here to get a bigger milking machine.

Some visitors were there at the expo to get new ideas and inspiration for setting up business in the food and agriculture sectors. Waqar Ali was among this group. He was seen engaged in discussion with representatives of the Punjab Livestock Department and Austrade, Australian government-supported initiative in the dairy and agriculture sector, for establishing a dairy farm of at least 50 buffaloes and cows.

The expo also provided a platform to discuss issues related to the agriculture, livestock and food sectors and to suggest solutions or recommendations for the authorities concerned. At these discussions professionals from related fields shared their experiences with the audience, mostly farmers and students of various agricultural institutes. The participants were also offered an opportunity to put up questions for getting a deeper insight of the issues wreaking havoc on the farming sector.

Since 2012, Dawn Media Group has been organising a series of exhibitions every year which serves a platform for the business and government sectors, directly or indirectly involved with food and agriculture industry of Pakistan to converge and provide under one roof at least information about the services each one of them is offering to the farming community.

Keeping in line with the changing trends, demands and needs in the agricultural sector, the event provided value addition to the event two years ago by incorporating the food industry, the second largest in the country which accounts for 27 percent of its value added production and 16 percent of the total employment in manufacturing sector.

The event has managed to build and retain a momentum by involving government departments, farmers’ associations, private and public sector as well as foreign organizations and dignitaries.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2019