LAHORE: Punjab Agriculture Minister Malik Nauman Ahmed Langrial opened on Thursday the eighth Dawn Food and Agri Expo, calling it an event that showcases local agriculture potential and a source for publicizing government’s policies.

He was accompanied by Deputy Head of Mission of the European Union Anne Marchal, while Ambassador of Indonesia Iwan Suyudhie Amri also visited the exhibition later.

Thousands of farmers, businessmen and students of various food and agriculture related institutions participated in the event, where companies representing engineering, fertilizer, seed, packaging, banking and insurance as well as academia and various farmers’ bodies set up their stalls to disseminate information regarding their respective services for the people engaged in agriculture and livestock farming.

Mr Langrial said the country has been bestowed with such a potential in the agriculture and livestock sectors that, if explored properly, would not need to seek any financial support from other countries rather it could become a donor state.

He thanked the Dawn Media Group for organising the show which, he said, would help raise awareness among farmers about the latest agriculture technology as well as about the government’s policies for promoting innovative food and farming techniques in the country, in general, and in Punjab, in particular.

He urged the farmers to attend the expo and also join debates being held on the sidelines of the show so that they could a new inspiration and ideas for their fields.

About compensating the losses wheat growers suffered in the wake of hailstorm and rains in various parts of the province, the minister said that all deputy commissioners had been directed by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to prepare estimates of the losses and the per acre compensation amount would be announced on the completion of these estimates.

Ms Marchal called the expo a wonderful event bringing together technology providers and seekers under one roof. She said it was one of the major shows facilitating business-to-business contacts and offering opportunities to the local agriculture and food sectors to move up the value chain.

She said environment-friendly techniques and technologies promoted through the expo would help Pakistan get more access to international markets, while the European Union is already offering free market access to Pakistani products under the GSP Plus status.

Imran Saeed of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission of the Australian government, which also set up its pavilion at the expo, said that his country has so far invested $500 million in Pakistan’s livestock and agriculture sector while there was lot more room for further investment.

Referring to his conversation with Mr Langrial, when the latter visited the Austrade pavilion, he said Australia was ready to provide all possible cooperation in developing the local farming sector.

Jarold Knoll, a representative of a New Zealand firm dealing in farm machinery, said this was his first visit to any Pakistani expo, though his company has been participating in the show for the last couple of years.

He saw very good potential in the local agriculture, horticulture and livestock sectors and hoped that cooperation between his country and Pakistan would increase with the passage of time.

Sajid Ahmad Bodla, chief executive officer of the Cattlekit, said he believed that the farmers would benefit greatly from the expo by witnessing new technologies being introduced in the livestock farming.

Ostrich chick live hatching at the stall set up by the University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Lahore, was another attraction at the expo to see ostrich eggs and the portable hatching machine producing birds ‘on demand’.

Many were fascinated by the herbal products on sale at the stall of the Punjab University’s Institute of Agricultural Sciences. Farmers also took keen interest in the drones for spraying pesticides.

The expo will also continue today.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2019