KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Pakistan’s financial hub Karachi on Wednesday on his maiden trip to the city since assuming the top political office, where he held meetings with the provincial leadership and the business community. 

Sharif, who is in Karachi for a day-long visit, visited the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s founder, to pay his respects after arriving in the city. 

“The prime minister will exchange views with the governor of Sindh and its chief minister on Sindh province’s overall political situation and administration matters,” a statement from Sharif’s office said. 

Sharif presided over a meeting at the Chief Minister House later in which he was informed about the financial matters between the center and the province. 

The chief minister’s spokesperson informed Sharif that the center owed Sindh a whopping Rs1,078.198 billion yet it had handed over Rs28 billion less than that.

“The prime minister instructed the federal finance minister to speak to the chief minister and resolve financial matters,” the chief minister said.

Sharif later announced the addition of 150 buses in Karachi to a fleet of 300, which the provincial government aims to deploy to alleviate the people’s transport woes.

“On the insistence of transport minister, Sharjeel Inaam Memon, prime minister announced 150 buses in the pool of 300 buses,” Abdul Rasheed Channa, the Chief Minister’s House spokesperson said, adding that the prime minister praised the provincial transport department.

Karachi, one of the largest cities in the world with a population of 20.3 million people, has 25,000 buses operating on over 700 routes covering the city. The number of private buses has decreased to 300 which operate on only 50 routes. 

The prime minister later spoke to Karachi’s prominent businesspersons, referring to them as “the backbone of Pakistan’s economy.”

“We should rise before our personal likes and dislikes to serve Pakistan,” he said, adding that he wanted to carve out the best business policies for Pakistan to improve the country’s financial health. 

Riyadh: The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture launched an urban vertical farm project for food markets and stores, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The initiative, the first of its kind in the region, allows customers to obtain fresh food products grown in the Kingdom.

The ministry’s undersecretary, Ahmed Al-Eyada, attended the launch of the project, which was implemented by a leading bioagriculture company.

Danube markets in Riyadh is hosting the first vertical farm in the project. Commercial display units in the market contain a variety of plants and agricultural products, such as lettuce, coriander, parsley and broccoli — many of which were previously sourced from abroad.

The ministry aims to launch about 600 to 1,000 farms in the retail system across all markets in the Kingdom over the next five years. These farms are intended to meet 20 to 40 percent of domestic demand for agricultural products and vegetables.

Vertical urban farms in stores aim to preserve natural resources, maintain ecosystem balance and promote sustainable productivity. By shortening supply chains, they also reduce loss and waste, and introduce a new farming model suited to local farmers and businesses in the Kingdom.

The initiative offers multiple benefits for consumers by providing high-quality vegetables and fruits that retain their freshness and nutritional value for up to five times longer than traditional methods, the SPA reported.

Urban farms also promote job localization and greater income potential. Furthermore, they help overcome logistical challenges associated with transporting agricultural products to consumers.

Vertical farming not only conserves agricultural land but also reduces labor and water usage by 80 to 90 percent compared to traditional farming, providing a year-round high-yield agricultural environment.