Govt determined to empower small farmers: Governor Sindh

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Imran Ismail on Thursday said the incumbent government was determined to work on empowerment of small farmers to increase their income and improve their standard of living.

Talking to the senior management of Engro Foods and FrieslandCampina, which called on him at the Governor House, Imran Ismail said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was also taking keen interest in improving the living standard of small farmers, according to a press release.

The meeting discussed the need for public private collaboration to create sustainable livelihoods for small dairy farmers while also provision of safe dairy products to the people of the country.

Currently, dairy comprises of up to 50% of the agriculture sector and contributes 11 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

The governor was informed that Engro Foods and FrieslandCampina with the assistance of government were determined to build the capacity of small dairy farmers to improve the overall quality and quantity of milk and create sustainable livelihoods.

Engro Foods was committed to empowering the farmers through dairy development programs and to increase the overall contribution of the sector to the GDP of the country.

The meeting also discussed the need to harmonize food standards through regulatory authorities across the country for one main vision - safer dairy products.

On the occasion, Engro Foods Managing Director Ali Ahmed Khan said, "The vision of the prime minister to provide safe milk to consumers and to strengthen farmers is embedded in the core purpose of Engro Foods and FrieslandCampina as the company is owned by 19,000 dairy farmers globally.

We believe in providing better nutrition through safe dairy products to our consumers, we are committed to empowering the small dairy farm holders to increase their livelihoods and revolutionize the dairy sector with best farming practices to build the economy of Pakistan."

The management of Engro Foods and FrieslandCampina was represented by President Consumer Dairy Roel F. Van Neerbos, Director Corporate Affairs & Agri Business Saud Ahmed Pasha and Head of Corporate Communications & Sustainability Nageen Rizvi.

The governor along with his team was also invited to visit the processing plant and dairy farm of Engro Foods.