LAHORE, Feb 17: The two-day Dawn Agri-Expo kicked off here on Friday, with thousands of farmers, academia, corporate leaders, foreign dignitaries, policy makers and diplomats thronging the gala on the first day.

Inaugurated by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the expo included a conference “Agricultural Competitiveness through Value Addition,” which was inaugurated and addressed by the chief minister.

His excellencies Pierre Mayaudon, deputy head of European Union Delegation to Pakistan and US Charge d’ Affaires, ambassador Richard Hoagland and Consul General Nina Maria Fite were among those who visited the exhibition and attended the conference.

The two-day national agriculture exposition provides exhibitors with an opportunity to showcase for Pakistani farmers and agri-businesspeople agricultural technology that can increase crop yields and reduce costs.

Addressing the conference, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that there was hardly any doubt that Pakistan’s economy in general and the Punjab in particular has agricultural base. “No policy maker can ignore this sector, given its importance in national scheme of things.”

He regretted that the neglect of this sector in the last six decades has brought Pakistan poverty, militancy and terrorism. He said the world was ready to help Pakistan build agro-industry, and now it was entirely up to us to accept it and integrate with international community.

The chief minister said the Punjab government would look forward to the recommendations of this conference to set its future agenda and priorities.

His Excellency Pierre Mayaudon, deputy head of the European Union Delegation, advised Pakistan to improve quality of its produce if it wanted to claim its share in international market, especially the European Union. The EU was there to help Pakistan in achieving those standards.

Amber Haroon Saigol, head of the Dawn Media Group, in her address maintained that Pakistan has all the necessary prerequisites to be a leading agrarian economy. Modern practices and technology worldwide have greatly contributed to progress in agriculture.

She said hit by recent floods, Pakistan more than ever before needed cutting-edge technology and the latest methodologies to overcome its challenges and emerge as one of the leading agricultural economies of South Asia. “This viewed in the perspective of global challenge of food security, makes it imperative for Pakistan to realize its potential in agriculture to the fullest. To achieve this, major and meaningful investment in the agriculture sector by local and foreign stakeholders from both the private and public sectors is essential.”

With this objective in mind, she said the Dawn Media Group organized the expo and conference, arguably Pakistan’s largest and most comprehensive show. The theme “agricultural competitiveness through value addition” sets the tone for discussions that will cover a wide range of topics pertaining to dairy, horticulture, livestock and poultry creating a road map for achieving value addition, enhancing quality of produce and product, improving export viability, deployment of new technology in addition to wide array of related topics.

David R. Brower, a prominent environmentalist, captured the essence of this conference when he said: “Bring diversity back to agriculture. That’s what makes it work in the first place.”

Addressing the conference, Engro chief Asad Umer said Pakistan should be globally competitive in the field of agriculture by 2030. He said since most of our farmers owned small land holdings, there was a need to promote cooperative farming.

US Charge d’ Affaires, Ambassador Richard Hoagland and Lahore Consul General Nina Maria Fite opened the USA Pavilion at the expo. They had the opportunity to meet with local companies implementing US agricultural development projects and talk to Pakistani and international exhibitors showcasing new farming technologies, equipment, and practices.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Hoagland said: “This event will provide farmers, dairy and livestock producers, food processors, agricultural university students, agricultural businesspeople, and consumers an opportunity to talk, exchange ideas, and learn more about new farming methods.”

He praised US-Pakistan agricultural cooperation and pledged American support for the development of Pakistan’s agricultural sector.