PMYP, PPAF, Arid Uni join hands to transform peanut economy

Rawalpindi/ISLAMABAD, Jul 07 (APP):Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, the chief guest, on Tuesday launched the Climate Resilient Peanut Value Chain Development for Rural Enterprise and Economic Graduation Project at the signing of a partnership agreement between the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS AAUR). Funded by PPAF and to be implemented with the technical assistance of PMAS AAUR.

The ceremony was attended by PPAF Chief Executive Officer Nadir Gul Barech as guest of honour and PMAS AAUR Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Qamar uz Zaman, the project’s Patron in Chief.

The three year project will initially be launched in the peanut growing areas of Gujar Khan in Rawalpindi district and Fateh Jang in Attock district to promote climate smart agriculture, improve productivity, strengthen value addition, create rural enterprises, generate employment and increase farmers’ incomes through research, innovation, entrepreneurship and market linkages.

Addressing the ceremony, Rana Mashhood said the government is investing heavily in education, technical skills, innovation and agricultural research to build a knowledge based economy and prepare young Pakistanis for emerging global opportunities.

He said universities must move beyond conventional degree programmes by integrating technical qualifications, professional certifications and industry relevant skills so graduates remain competitive in rapidly changing international markets.

Highlighting reforms in technical education, Chief PMYP said the government, in collaboration with NAVTTC and leading Chinese institutions, had introduced 21 modern technical trades aligned with international industry requirements.

Nearly 50 Pakistani universities are also being connected with Chinese universities to strengthen research collaboration, technology transfer and academic partnerships.

Rana Mashhood said that  government planned to train up to 10,000 youth in advanced agricultural technologies.

He added that a leading Chinese agricultural university would collaborate with PMAS AAUR and other Pakistani institutions to establish state of the art research facilities and promote joint scientific research.

Referring to the success of Pakistan’s olive industry, Mr Khan said similar interventions in the peanut sector could significantly improve farmers’ incomes, promote agribusiness and expand export potential.

He said new employment opportunities are emerging for Pakistanis in Japan, South Korea, Europe, the United States, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and other international markets.

Speaking on the occasion, PPAF Chief Executive Officer Nadir Gul Barech described the agreement as the beginning of a strategic partnership that brings together research, innovation, entrepreneurship and community development to transform Pakistan’s rural economy.

Mr. Barech said that since its establishment in 1997, PPAF had expanded its outreach to 150 districts through more than 164 partner organisations, empowering millions of people through community driven development, financial inclusion, enterprise promotion and livelihood programmes.

Highlighting PPAF’s achievements, CEO PPAF said the organisation had mobilised 2.67 million households, created nearly 2.9 million employment opportunities, disbursed 3.67 million interest free loans under the Prime Minister’s Interest Free Loan Programme, facilitated 8.4 million microfinance loans, provided skills training to more than 1.19 million people, transferred productive assets to over 206,700 vulnerable households, completed 35,300 community infrastructure projects, implemented 1,450 renewable energy schemes, supported education for more than 433,300 students, delivered 15.46 million medical consultations, and assisted 1.8 million households through disaster response and climate resilience initiatives.

Mr. Barech said PPAF’s new five-year strategy places MSME development, entrepreneurship, value chain development and economic inclusion at the heart of its future programming.

Referring to the European Union funded GRASP programme, he said it had enabled more than 45,000 MSMEs, farmers and producers to improve their businesses, generated around 88,341 new jobs, and leveraged nearly PKR3 in private investment for every PKR1 of grant funding.

He said the peanut value chain project had been jointly designed by PPAF and PMAS AAUR after extensive consultations with scientists, researchers, farmers, processors, entrepreneurs and market experts to develop Pakistan’s first integrated climate resilient peanut value chain model.

Over the next three years, he said, the project would train around 2,000 farmers, MSMEs and primary producers, modernise the university’s peanut processing facility into a demonstration and value addition centre, establish a certified seed system producing 8 to 12 tonnes of quality seed, increase peanut productivity from around 400 kilograms per acre to nearly 600 kilograms per acre, support up to 40 MSMEs, including women led enterprises, ensure at least 40% participation of women and youth, incubate two youth led agribusiness startups, and strengthen branding, packaging, access to finance and market linkages for peanut based enterprises.

He said the project’s success would be measured through higher rural incomes, stronger startups and MSMEs, greater participation of women entrepreneurs and the development of a scalable model for university led innovation, rural industrialisation and climate resilient agricultural transformation across Pakistan.

The speakers expressed confidence that the partnership would become a model for collaboration between academia, development institutions and the private sector to accelerate climate resilient agriculture, promote entrepreneurship, strengthen value chains and drive inclusive economic growth.

Prof. Dr. Qamar-uz-Zaman, Vice Chancellor, PMAS-AAUR, welcomed the partnership and reaffirmed the university’s commitment to providing scientific research, technical expertise, and innovation to modernize Pakistan’s peanut value chain.

He said the collaboration would bridge research with practical implementation, enabling farmers to adopt smart climate technologies, improve productivity, and access new market opportunities while contributing to sustainable agricultural development.

The ceremony concluded with the formal signing and exchange of the partnership agreement between PPAF and PMAS-AAUR in the presence of Chairman Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP), Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan.

The agreement officially launched the Climate Resilient Peanut Value Chain Development for Rural Enterprise and Economic Graduation Project, marking the beginning of a long-term partnership to advance research, climate smart agriculture, innovation, youth entrepreneurship and sustainable rural economic transformation in Pakistan.