Key Takeaways
- The government has proposed a nationwide digital system for maintaining farmers' and agricultural land records.
- The Digital Farmers’ Diary and AgriStack proposal was presented during a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
- The system aims to digitize records of farmers and agricultural land, along with soil and water testing data.
The government of Pakistan has proposed a nationwide digital system for maintaining farmers' and agricultural land records, including soil and water testing data, as part of efforts to modernize the agriculture sector.
During a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Digital Farmers’ Diary and AgriStack proposal was presented. The meeting also considered the introduction of the Pakistan Good Agriculture Practices system to promote better farming practices and improve agricultural productivity.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized the need to increase per acre yields, modernize agriculture, develop the livestock sector, and expand agricultural exports. He directed commercial officers at Pakistan’s overseas missions to promote agricultural exports, expand access to international markets, and identify new markets for Pakistani products.
The government plans to launch a media campaign for a mobile application for crop monitoring. The meeting discussed agricultural value chains and identified China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Gulf countries as important markets for Pakistani agricultural products.
Officials informed the meeting that Pakistan’s agricultural exports reached $5.18 billion during the previous financial year. Major agricultural exports include rice, fisheries, halal meat, potatoes, sesame, tobacco, mangoes, and maize.
The government has also been working to expand access to agricultural financing. Earlier this week, the prime minister directed banks and financial institutions to increase lending to farmers and provide financing on favorable terms. Agricultural lending reached Rs. 1.268 trillion in August 2026, with a target of increasing it to Rs. 2 trillion by June 2028 under the Access to Finance Plan 2026 to 2028.
The meeting was also informed that 35,838 applications had been received through the Zarkhez e app for agricultural loans, with Rs. 7.35 billion approved and Rs. 1.96 billion disbursed.
