- Advertisement -
LAHORE, Jun 18 (APP): The Punjab Agriculture Department, in collaboration with the Food Security and Agriculture Centre of Excellence (FACE), a not-for-profit development organization, commemorated a significant milestone in their ongoing partnership during a ceremony here on Wednesday.
The ceremony was attended by Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, senior field officers, academia, FACE management, and farmers’ representatives, underscoring a shared commitment to innovation, sustainability, and food security in the province.
The Food Security and Agriculture Centre of Excellence signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Punjab Agricultural Department in December last year.
According to a FACE news release, the public-private collaboration was designed to modernize Punjab’s agriculture landscape by building capacity, introducing digital tools, and integrating technology-driven solutions at the grassroots level.
A key focus was enhancing the technical capabilities of field officers through advanced training in crop yield improvement, drone-assisted farming, satellite data utilization, and AI-based crop monitoring.
To deliver impactful and high-quality training, FACE engaged international agricultural specialists and designed a series of crop-specific seminars, hands-on workshops, and learning modules tailored to Pakistan’s local context.
“A major highlight of the initiative is the deployment of 60 Digital Pest Traps across key agricultural zones in Punjab. These smart devices enable real-time detection and identification of crop-damaging pests, helping mitigate losses – estimated at 20 to 30% of crop output annually due to pest infestations,” the news release said.
Additionally, it added, 30 top-performing agriculture students from local universities “have been inducted into a three-month paid internship programme, where they will work alongside field officers from the Agriculture Extension Department.
“This hands-on exposure aims to bridge the academic-industry gap and groom the next generation of agri-tech leaders.”
To further accelerate digital adoption, FACE also donated laptops to the Agriculture Department, allowing frontline officers to leverage satellite imagery, crop analytics, and precision monitoring tools – ushering in a new era of data-driven agriculture.