Federal Minister for Industries and Production Syed Murtaza Mahmud has stressed improving agricultural productivity through farm mechanization and promoting agricultural credit for rural economies especially to purchase modern technologies.

He expressed these views while addressing a five-day international training course on productivity gainsharing in Agribusiness Enterprises on Monday.

He was of the view that converting raw produce into value-added products like fruit pulping and fruit dehydration can promote agribusiness. He said regional skills development programs for rural youth can address the need for a productive workforce.

He stressed the use of productive irrigation methods like drip irrigation, and sprinkler irrigation, and the optimum use of intermediate inputs like fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides for better produce of crops. He suggested promoting low-cost enterprise development programs like honey bee keeping and floriculture in order to create employment opportunities for rural youth.

The minister appreciated the Asian Productivity Organization’s (APO) role in the development of the Asia-Pacific region and said it is time to revitalize our commitment and strive to achieve APO’s vision of inclusive, innovation-led productivity growth in the Asia-Pacific.

He welcomed the international delegates and conveyed his gratitude to APO and National Productivity Organization (NPO) for addressing this important topic. He said this training course will provide knowledge on the application of gainsharing tools and share best practices to make agribusiness enterprises more productive and profitable.

He said that gainsharing has the potential to contribute to agricultural productivity as farmers are empowered, actors in supply chains are motivated to create an increased feeling of ownership, and companies receive greater profits due to higher productivity and enhanced efficiency throughout supply chains.

Source: Pro Pakistani