LAHORE: Provincial Finance Minister Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha said on Thursday that agriculture was among the top priorities of the government and collaboration was always helpful in bringing improvement.
She said this while addressing the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) project workshop “Creating Wealth In Smallholders’ Farms Through Efficient Credit Systems In Pakistan” at a local hotel. The workshop was jointly organized by the University of Queensland (UQ) Business School, Australia and AGAHE Pakistan.
The minister said, “We are determined to involve academia and the private sector for helping us in implementing policies in different fields to obtain the maximum benefit”.
She said that in Punjab, a growth strategy programme had been developed, adding that our vision was to make the province where people have the maximum number of opportunities.
Ayesha Ghaus Pasha said that there was a need to educate the youth besides creating jobs for them so that they could be engaged for better use of their potential. She further said that agriculture was among the top priorities of the government and it was launching various initiatives for its uplift.
The finance minister said, “We are also trying to improve the rural economy and if the strategy is followed in the right way, the improvement will definitely be witnessed”.
She further said that financial inclusion was not limited to agriculture, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were also under focus. She said, “We are trying to bridge the micro-financing sector and borrowers”.
Punjab Agriculture Secretary, Muhammad Mehmood Rai said that efforts were being made to develop agriculture financial markets which would help banks and specialized banks to access small farmers.
He said, “We are trying for maximum use of technology, creating a profile of farmers besides soil profiles and all such stuff would be put on Geographic Information System (GIS) maps”.
The secretary said that it was a five-year plan once the whole system is developed and it would be a great breakthrough.
Pakistan High Commissioner in Australia Naela Chohan said, “Microfinancing is the best form of a system for ensuring development”.
“When a woman is economically empowered, it not only brings change in her life but also ensures improvement at various levels”, she added.
Australian High Commissioner in Pakistan, Margaret Adamson said that agriculture was vital for the economies of both the countries. She said that water should be used prudently otherwise it was hard enough to excel in the agriculture sector.
Other speakers shared that credit was an important enabler for smallholders’ farm productivity and profitability and could play a vital role in improving food security.
Recommendations included the formation of social networking among women smallholders, raising awareness of techniques that increase agricultural profitability and developing partnerships between credit providers and extension services. Later, souvenirs were given away to speakers.