ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed authorities to harness artificial intelligence and international expertise to overhaul Pakistan’s struggling agriculture sector, which employs more than a third of the national labor force but suffers from declining productivity and growing climate stress.
Pakistan’s agriculture sector, despite accounting for nearly 23 percent of GDP and employing around 37 percent of the workforce, continues to face low yields, water inefficiency, outdated farming practices and limited mechanization.
“To ensure effective use of artificial intelligence and modern technology in agriculture, benefit should be taken from the services of internationally renowned experts,” Sharif said while chairing a high-level review meeting in Islamabad on Monday, according to an official statement.
Pakistan’s agriculture sector faces a host of structural challenges that artificial intelligence and modern technology could help address. These include low per-acre yields due to outdated farming techniques, inefficient water use, erratic weather patterns worsened by climate change and limited access to quality seeds and real-time crop data.
Farmers often lack timely information on pests, soil health and weather forecasts, leading to avoidable losses. AI-powered tools, such as satellite imaging, predictive analytics, and precision irrigation systems, can optimize resource use, improve forecasting, and boost productivity — critical for a sector that lags behind regional benchmarks in output and resilience.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Sharif called for a “comprehensive short- and long-term action plan” to modernize farming through advanced machinery, quality seed, crop zoning and easy loans for farmers.
The PM said revitalizing agriculture would require activating state research centers and bringing in private sector support to drive innovation.
“Modern research must be ensured in agricultural research centers through public-private partnership,” he said, directing officials to improve per-acre crop yields and promote the value-added processing of farm goods for export.
With the country among the most climate-vulnerable in the world, the prime minister also ordered the adoption of “climate-resistant seeds and modern farming methods” to protect food security. He said farmers should be supported in adapting to changing conditions, especially in flood-hit provinces like Sindh and Balochistan.
He instructed that new cotton farming zones be mapped in consultation with provincial governments, keeping in view changing rainfall and temperature patterns.
“After detailed consultation with the provincial government, comprehensive planning should be done for cotton farming in new suitable areas, especially in Sindh and Balochistan,” Sharif said.
In a move aimed at diversifying Pakistan’s energy sources, the prime minister also called for research into biofuel production using agricultural inputs.
“Research and planning should be done to include biofuels in the country’s energy mix,” he said.
Sharif directed that farmers and key stakeholders be brought into the policy process and coordination with provincial governments be strengthened for the effective rollout of reforms.
