DAWN Pakistan Food & Agri Expo 2019

Punjab Agriculture Minister Malik Nauman Ahmed 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.

Deputy Head of Mission of the European Union Ms. Anne 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.

Year 2018

Chief Guest: Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana – The Governor of Punjab praised the event as it provided a great opportunity to the institutions engaged in international trade of contemporary and high-tech agricultural machinery in the form of a forum in which they could unite. Acknowledging the steps taken by the government in developing the agricultural sector, the governor said the transportation of the agricultural produce to market is being made more efficient with carpeted roads to ensure timely delivery from Farm to Market. He lauded the organizers for initiating this event which is giving the much needed boost to the food & agri sector.
Mr. Jerry Bisson – Mission Director USAID Pakistan stated that “The United States has partnered with the Pakistan government, the private sector, and farmers to modernize the agricultural sector. Together, we are creating jobs, increasing farmer incomes, and improving Pakistan’s food security.” He reiterated that his country’s long standing support for the development of the agricultural sector in Pakistan is also evident as a USAID pavilion is set up at this expo every year, which presents agricultural projects and assistance programmes by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) & United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) which aim to help Pakistani farmers and agribusinesses, strengthen value chains and improve market access.
Mr. Rolf Michael Hay Pereira Holmboe – Ambassador of Denmark appreciated DAWN Media Group’s for providing this platform for the betterment of the food and agriculture sector. He offered support, declaring that the Danish government would make sure to offer assistance in every aspect to the local food agricultural sector. He added that for this purpose Denmark would soon send delegations consisting of agricultural experts. He asserted that the mutual cooperation between the two countries would improve the agricultural sector and food processing industry significantly.

Year 2017

Acting Australian High Commissioner, H.E Jurek Juszczyk: appreciated The DAWN Media Group for this initiative and acknowledged the Government of Punjab’s support for it, in order to drive development of Pakistan’s agriculture sector forward and reiterated the Australian High Commission’s support to this platform. Pointing out the timeliness of this year’s theme Greening the Value Chain, Mr. Juszczyk stated that overwhelming evidence suggests changing climate is shifting cropping patterns, reducing water availability and inducing rural-urban migration in Pakistan. He suggested, “Addressing the dual challenge of sustaining domestic food security while boosting agriculture export revenue in the face of population growth, will require technological advancement, effective use of natural resources and policy development backed by agricultural research”.
Mission Director USAID Mr. John Groarke : acknowledged the importance of this platform stating that agriculture is a cornerstone for the economy of both the countries and he felt honoured to represent his country at this expo & conference. He added that this event “is an opportunity to reflect on how far agriculture in Pakistan has advanced over the years and the potential it has to grow its economy into the future. The latest technological innovations and development projects on display are evidence of what is possible when the private sector, international donors, and the Pakistani government work together.” Mr. Groarke was pleased to share that this in turn has created jobs, increased farmer incomes, and improved Pakistan’s food security.
Ambassador of the European Union, Mr. Jean François Cautain : expressed his pleasure for being a part of this event. He appreciated the theme of the conference Greening the Value Chain, which he felt was pivotal for sustainability of food production and key for the future of humanity. He stressed on the importance of climate change policy and its subsequent action plan by Pakistan to enable the country achieve uninterrupted pattern of growth. Mr. Cautain said that the conventions pertaining to environment focus on the challenge of climate change and “the EU Delegation is constantly in touch with the Government of Pakistan to help it diversify its export base and improve its capacity to implement these conventions so that a productive and growth oriented society emerge which should trade with Europe and the world respecting human rights, labour rights, good governance and green environment”.
Minister for Agriculture Punjab, Mr. Naeem Akhtar Khan Bhabha: congratulated The DAWN Media Group for providing a platform which not only allows farmers to benefit from the latest developments in the agriculture sector, but also facilitates the public and private sector to share and learn from each other’s experience. Reiterating that agriculture is the backbone of the country’s economy he said that the Government of Punjab has taken meaningful steps and measures towards adjusting agricultural practices to rapidly changing global competitive environment. The Punjab Government is determined to make Punjab the bread basket of Pakistan. He also stressed that it is vital for this sector that the private and public sector partnerships are encouraged.

Year 2016

The Australian High Commissioner, Ms. Margaret Adamson: commended The DAWN Media Group on this annual expo and conference by saying that this platform is becoming a premier agricultural event in the country, as well as attracting international stakeholders. Ms. Adamson reiterated the Australian High Commission’s support to this platform, as well as her country’s commitment to developing and promoting agriculture in Pakistan, citing Australia’s long running agriculture assistance program, under which numerous scholarships have been provided in this sector since the 1950s.
Ambassador of the European Union, Mr. Jean-François Cautain: extolled the importance of this platform for being an annual event calendar for agri events. Mr. Cautain stated that in “Year 2012 we jointly adopted the EU-Pakistan 5-year Engagement Plan, establishing a partnership covering a wide range of areas including political dialogue, security and counter terrorism, trade, migration and development cooperation.” He explained that Agriculture plays a strong role in this partnership, in particular when it comes to trade and development cooperation. Mr. Cautain added that the agriculture sector fulfills many development needs of a country which subsequently leads to economic growth.
Minister for Excise & Taxation Punjab, Mr. Mujtaba Shuja Ur Rehman: stated that “the Punjab government is working very hard to improve the plight of the poor farmers, with full support of the livestock, agriculture and extension departments. Under the visionary guidance of the Chief Minister Punjab, Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, the aim is to make agriculture a major engine of growth.”
Secretary Agriculture Punjab, Mr. Muhammad Sheheryar Sultan: thanked The DAWN Media Group for organizing this conference regularly, providing direct access to stakeholders, like the erstwhile audience, to provide their suggestions directly to the policy makers. He stated that the Government of Punjab is making concerted efforts to reach out to all the stakeholders to gather their suggestions and reach consensus on way forward and the steps necessary to achieve development in the agriculture sector.

Year 2015

US Consul General, Mr. Zachary Harkenrider: reiterated his country’s commitment to developing and promoting agriculture in Pakistan. He added that meat, dairy, textile and fruit sectors “hold great promise for providing additional income for small farmers, greater choice for consumers and new job opportunities for workers.” Mr. Harkenrider also observed that private US firms have started exhibiting at the DAWN Agri Expo and how the expo has attracted international stakeholders. He concluded by saying that this platform is becoming the premier agricultural event in the country.
Executive Director State Bank of Pakistan, Syed Samar Husnain said: “SBP is quite positive that the recent initiatives, fully supported by the Government, multilaterals and donor organizations will greatly help the banks to increase the share of agri financing progressively and significantly”. Mr. Husnain concluded by stating that “I would also encourage farmer communities to share their ideas of increasing the flow of banks’ financing to them”.
Director Marketing Fatima Group, Mr. Muhammad Zahir stated that we should “Focus on the restoration of the health of our soils so our environment is preserved in the longer term. Hence investment must be made in efficient technologies and man power training to minimize depletion of our natural resources to ensure food security of our growing population.”
The Chief Guest, Chief Minister Punjab, Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, nominated Dr. Farrukh Javed, Agriculture Minister for Punjab, to speak on his behalf at the Conference. In his address, the Agriculture Minister said, “Our government is putting more emphasis to ensure food security through the increase of yield and its accessibility to the common person and sustainability. The Punjab government is working very hard to improve the plight of the poor farmers, with full support of the livestock, agriculture and extension departments. Under the visionary guidance of the Chief Minister Punjab, Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, the aim is to make agriculture a major engine of growth.”

Year 2014

Chief Minister Punjab H.E. Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif: “Agriculture is the backbone of national economy and Punjab Government is taking solid measures for progress and development of agricultural sector in the interest of prosperity of farmers and stability of agri economy. Such exhibitions are a positive step towards value addition in agri products.”
Agriculture Minister Punjab Dr. Farrukh Javed: “It is indeed a privilege and honour to be here as Agriculture Minister, for this meaningful, long thinking, informative session. For this I must congratulate and pay my thanks to the DAWN Media Group”.
Balochistan Food Minister Mir Izhar Khan Khosa: “Such events are of special significance to our government where our policy makers learn a lot and experiment back home. I have met a lot of farmers’ organizations and would take them to Balochistan to see the problems themselves and offer solutions”.
CEO Fatima Group Mr. Fawad Ahmed Mukhtar: “Farm productivity of per unit cultivated land in Pakistan is among the lowest in the world. Use of outdated farming technologies, absence of cohesive research and international collaborations, lack of profitable route to market, inefficient water management, use of inferior quality seeds and inadequate and unbalanced fertilizer usage were major factors of low yield”.
Australian High Commissioner H.E. Peter Heyward: “I would like to congratulate DAWN for their commitment in putting up this event for the third year now. For a successful agriculture sector which can not only supply the national population for its nutritional and other needs but also to create valuable export revenue. It’s important that the producers are continuously looking for ways to improve productivity, efficiency and competitiveness. This expo and the conference respond to that need”.
Ambassador of the Netherlands H.E. Marcel De Vink: “It’s very good to be here. I feel very much at home at this agri expo & conference. Maybe this is not something you would expect from a small country like the Netherlands but let me share with you that Netherlands has become very successful in becoming a large agricultural producer and we have now become the 2nd largest exporter of agricultural products in the world.”

Year 2013

Governor Punjab Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood: “Coming from a farmer family I know the importance of the agriculture sector. God has given huge potential to this country and it is for us to exploit it and improve the lot of people.”
US Ambassador H.E. Richard Olson: “The Challenge for Pakistan’s long term sustainable agricultural development ultimately depends on private sector initiatives to take these programmes and transfer them into viable commercial enterprises.”
Director Marketing Fatima Group Mr. Muhammad Zahir: “As you are all aware that there are host of issues that we confront in this sector and that is why my discussion today is about Pakistan’s Agriculture at crossroads.” “We need to tackle these issues effectively by defining short term, medium term and long term goals to ensure that we harness all that we inherited in terms of agriculture”.

Year 2012

Chief Minister Punjab H.E. Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif: “No policy maker can ignore this sector, given its importance in the national scheme of things” “The Punjab Government would look forward to the recommendations of this conference to set its future agenda and priorities.”
US Charge D’Affairs Ambassador H.E. Richard Hoagland: “This event will provide farmers, dairy and livestock production, food processors, agricultural university students, agricultural business people and consumers to talk, exchange ideas and learn more about new farming methods.”