LAHORE: At the 2nd annual Dawn Agriculture Expo, US Ambassador Richard Olson emphasized the private sector’s crucial role in expanding Pakistan’s agricultural markets. He also celebrated more than 50 years of US-Pakistan cooperation in the agriculture sector – a partnership that contributed to the Green Revolution of the 1950s and more recently has increased incomes for 800,000 families over the last three years, a press release issued by US Embassy in Islamabad says.
The Expo highlighted new technologies and development projects being implemented in Pakistan through the collaborative efforts of international donors, private sector companies, and the Pakistan government. These efforts are focused on creating jobs, increasing farmers’ incomes, and improving Pakistan’s food security.
Speaking at the Expo, Ambassador Olson emphasized that the private sector must be involved for development assistance to be effective. “The challenge for Pakistan’s long-term sustainable agricultural development ultimately depends on private sector initiatives to take these programs and transfer them into viable commercial enterprises.”
Since 2009, the US government has invested more than $230 million to fund projects that support the economic growth of Pakistan’s agriculture sector. At the Expo, the US Agency for International Development, the US Foreign Commercial Service, and the US Department of Agriculture highlighted many of these agricultural initiatives.
Through other US-funded efforts, 31,000 people in Punjab and Sindh have received training in dairy-related operations and over 120,000 cattle have been vaccinated for Foot and Mouth Disease. Additionally, 12,000 farmers in Balochistan have increased their incomes by 40% by upgrading their farming practices and increasing agricultural product sales.
DND
