LAHORE: PepsiCo Pakistan hosted ‘Seeds to Smiles’, a thought leadership event underscoring the company’s support to Pakistan’s farmers growing the agricultural ecosystem, and investing in Pakistan’s food systems security.
The event brought together stakeholders, farmers, industry experts, partner organizations including Eugene Willemsen, CEO of PepsiCo Africa, Middle East & South Asia (AMESA) and Mohammad Khosa, CEO of PepsiCo Pakistan & Afghanistan.
Their interactive dialogue centred on a target to develop regenerative agriculture and a positive value chain, brought to life through digital exhibits and a panel discussion, culminating in a ceremony to honour female farmer contributions to PepsiCo programmes such as She Feeds the World (SFtW) and others.
These programmes drive inclusivity by uplifting women in farming to become agents of transformation and improving the resilience of rural farming communities as a result.
So far, 173,000 members of rural communities have been positively impacted through the provision of training programmes, economic inclusion of smallholder farmers, health & hygiene interventions, and financial literacy workshops.
The event magnified company’s role as a leading food company creating real impact for sustainable, long-term growth, rooted in the land.
PepsiCo Pakistan sources 100% of its potatoes locally. This is made possible through PepsiCo’s Tissue Culture Lab, the first of its kind in Pakistan, where specialized potato variants, high in yield and quality, are grown, used locally and exported.
Other key interventions include the company’s capacity building initiatives, which support more than 50,000 farming community members managing 35,000 acres of cultivable land.
Training was provided to modernize their practices by using cutting-edge technology like precision planters and impact recording devices in support of the target of a sustainable, resilient, and regenerative agricultural future for Pakistan. This was well applauded by the stakeholders present.
Through such endeavours, PepsiCo Pakistan has been able to encourage growth, innovation, and climate resilience.
Participants of a discussion on this occasion focused on the complexities and opportunities within Pakistan’s agricultural sector, spotlighting the private sector’s instrumental role in propelling sustainable growth and empowering farming communities.
“PepsiCo is proud to share a long-standing global aim to produce food in a way that revitalizes the earth, supports farmer livelihoods, feeds an expanding population and innovates how ingredients are grown.
I am optimistic about the future of agriculture in Pakistan and reiterate PepsiCo’s support for the country’s food security ecosystem,” said Eugene Willemsen.
Mohammad Khosa further added, “As a leading food and beverage company, localizing our supply chain is of utmost importance to us. We aim to provide farmers access to markets, competitive selling rates, and a stable income.
We focus on capacity building and improving livelihoods through programmes like the GDA and SFtW that create an ecosystem of inclusivity in agriculture, introduce technology that is affordable to farmers, and educate them on agricultural best practice to encourage wise use of resources.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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