Pakistan’s leading fertilizer brand Sarsabz, as part of its ‘Salam Kissan, Sarsabz Pakistan’ initiative, hosted a special event to celebrate the role and contribution of farmers at Mehran Culture Auditorium in Sukkur . The event was attended by local residents from all walks of life as well as special Government dignitaries who graced the occasion including Mayor of Sukkur Barrister Arsalan Islam Sheikh, Provincial Transport Minister Syed Awais Qadir Shah, President of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Sukkur Mobeen Jatoi and DPO Irfan Sammo. Representatives from Fatima Group were also present at the occasion to receive the guests including Regional Sales Manager Waheed Ali Talpur and Development Head Abdul Samad Abro.
‘Salam Kissan’ holds the distinction of being Pakistan’s first initiative dedicated to highlight the important role of small farmers in curbing food security challenges in Pakistan and their contribution to national economy, while their own growth and due recognition have consistently been sidelined over many decades.
Several fun based family activities were organized at the event to amuse the visitors and highlight a spirit of celebration honoring the farmers. These included arcade games, face painting for boys and girls and a dedicated play area for younger kids. As well as, special mehndi stalls for women. The occasion concluded on a high note whereby visitors were excited to win attractive gifts through lucky draws.
Speaking about the initiative, Khurram Javed Maqbool, Director Marketing and Sales at Fatima Group said, “In view of the population explosion of Pakistan, it is not possible to solve our food insecurity challenges without empowering and incentivizing the small-scale farmers. Through initiatives like Salam Kissan, we intend to draw the attention of policy makers towards empowering our farmers who are the nation’s assets and a key driving force towards enabling growth and prosperity of this sector. Therefore, this campaign tends to appreciate and encourage the role of farmer community while becoming a voice to highlight their issues, in order to transform them into efficient economic contributors”.
While addressing the event, Barrister Arsalan Islam Sheikh, Mayor Sukkur said, “The small-scale farmers command 18.5% share in the national economy and 38.5% share in the labor force. I appreciate the efforts of Sarsabz Fertilizer for taking a lead through initiatives like Salam Kissan to advocate the issues of small-scale farmers, and in striving to build a clear understanding of the need to empower them, in order to uplift the agriculture sector as a whole”.
Despite Pakistan being an agri-based economy, no distinct farmer related initiatives have been observed over the decades to demonstrate support and encouragement for the farmer community, whereas countries around the globe have dedicated special days to give them their due praise. However, Fatima Group has taken the lead through its Salam Kissan initiative and is working hard to modernize Pakistan’s age-old agriculture setup through an efficient digital revolution, and by introducing innovative tech-based new products and services to transform the current challenges of farmers into growth opportunities. The campaign will continue its momentum in Multan, Hyderabad and Sialkot thereafter in a bid to make the voice of small-farmers heard at a national level.
