Startups bringing internet and technology to farmers

Agricultural entrepreneurs are bringing the digital age to the farmers of Pakistan. Amir Hayat Bhandara, a farmer and local councilor of "Chak 26" village in Pakistan's Punjab province, says that till recently his most modern equipment possessed was the tractor. It is also difficult to make calls from mobile in many border areas of Pakistan. But since October last year, farmers of Chak 26 village and other villages are being given free internet facilities under a pilot project. Because of this, revolutionary changes are being seen in their farming. Technology and farmers together Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan's economy, which contributes about 20 percent of GDP.

40 percent of the workforce is also engaged in the agriculture sector. It is the world's fifth-largest sugarcane producer, seventh-largest wheat producer, and tenth-largest rice producer, but the country relies mostly on human labor and lags behind other large agricultural countries in terms of mechanization. Chak 26 village is connected to the internet network through a small dish. Six local farmers have come to this "digital era" or meeting place to view computers and tablets, which provide accurate weather forecasts with fresh market prices and farming suggestions. “I have never seen a tablet before,” says Munir Ahmed, 45, a farmer who grew maize, potato, and wheat. Wasn't very accurate" Amjad hopes the project will bring more prosperity. Innovations that Benefit the Farmer Community Internet access is not Bhandara's only innovation.

Some distance from the digital era, the old water pump has been fitted with a modern switch system, which works with the help of a tablet. Bhandara hopes that more people will use this technology, which will reduce water consumption and reduce wages. "Digitalization of agriculture is the only way for the rural population to prosper," he told AFP. On the other hand, dozens of delivery workers at startup Taza's warehouse in Lahore are carrying fruits and vegetables on bikes. Taza works as an intermediary between farmers and traders. After just four months of operation, the company supplies about 100 tonnes of products every day to traders in Lahore and Karachi. Merchants place orders through the mobile app. "Earlier, the trader had to get up at 5 a.m. or 5.30 p.m. to buy the products in bulk at day's price, and then they would have trouble transporting the goods," says regional manager Inamul Haque, several in Taza's office. Employees manage orders.

But for the time being, shopping is still done by phone, as the app is still being developed for farmers. Fruits and vegetables often rot during travel due to poor supply chains, says Mohsin Jaka of Taza, but apps like Taza make the whole system more efficient. A campaign is being run for funding of $ 20 million for Taza. Now foreign funding is gradually increasing in the startups of Pakistan. According to several reports, foreign investment in Pakistan's startups was over $310 million last year, which is five times the 2020 level and much more in the last six years. AA/CK (AFP).