RAWALPINDI – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday inaugurated the Land Information and Management System – Center of Excellence as part of the government’s efforts to boost food security and agriculture exports and transform millions of acres of uncultivated and low yield land across Pakistan.
LIMS is the first initiative of the government aimed at enhancing food security and increasing agriculture exports, thus reducing the import burden on national exchequer by transforming millions of acres of uncultivated/ low yield land in the country.
This state-of-the-art system will help optimize the agricultural production through innovative technologies and sustainable precision agricultural practices based on agro-ecological potential of land. It will ensure well-being of the rural communities and preservation of the environment.
The GIS based LIMS will improve the national agri yield by systemizing digitization of agriculture, providing real time information to farmers about soil, crops, weather, water resource and pest monitoring through remote sensing and geospatial technologies. It will minimize the role of middlemen through efficient marketing system.
The center will work in collaboration with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and China on various agriculture projects to enhance Pakistan’s exports.
Maj Gen Shahid Nazeer, who heads the LIMS-CoE, told reporters at a briefing on Thursday that Saudi Arabia has already given Pakistan $500 million for a high efficiency irrigation system.
Aimed at enhancing modern agro-farming utilizing over 9 million hectares of uncultivated waste state land, LIMS-CoE has been established under the Director General Strategic Projects of Pakistan Army.
Army Chief Asim Munir was also present at the LIMS launch ceremony, which took place in Rawalpindi. The ceremony was also attended by ministers of finance, defence, planning, development and special initiatives, National Food Security and Research, information, chief secretaries of provincial governments, agricultural experts and senior army officials.
