ISLAMABAD
In continuation of its efforts to take digitisation of Pakistani agriculture to the next level, Telenor Pakistan has signed an agreement with Inbox Business Technologies to develop the ‘Connected Agriculture Platform for Punjab’ (CAPP).
Telenor Pakistan, given its proven track record of advancing the country’s agricultural landscape, was recently chosen by the agriculture department Punjab and the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) for their flagship project ‘Digital and Financial Inclusion of Kissan’ which includes smartphones and a digital platform comprising 9 Android Apps for hundreds of thousands of farmers in Punjab.
Under the agreement, Telenor and Inbox will jointly develop the digital platform, the IT infrastructure, and a mechanism to train and facilitate farmers across the province through facilitation centres and booths. Telenor Pakistan has played a leading role in agricultural digitisation through many of its industry-first initiatives and this partnership is in line with the same vision and strategy.
The ‘Connected Agriculture Platform for Punjab’ (CAPP) aims to revolutionise agriculture practices across the province by connecting all stakeholders in the agriculture value-chain including, but not limited to, agriculture input providers, research institutions, commodity buyers, supply chain services provider, and agriculture extension workers.
As part of the CAPP program, 500,000 plus eligible farmers will also get 3G/4G-enabled smartphones along with free SIMS and data bundles. To enable farmers to exploit the full potential of this platform, hundreds of facilitation centres and booths will be established across the province for the training of thousands of farmers and creating digital app gurus across the province.
“About 60 per cent of Pakistani households are associated with agriculture and yet there was little being done to bring improvements to this enormous sector and address to its longstanding loopholes,” said Telenor Pakistan Chief Digital Officer Durdana Achakzai while commenting on the development.
“Having the mission of empowering societies and being the primary mover of ICT-powered digital initiatives in the country, we took the lead on digitising agriculture and started transforming the sector. This partnership with Inbox is in continuation of the same passion and we are positive that CAPP will achieve its goals effectively with the model being replicated in other parts of Pakistan in the near future,” she added.
Inbox CEO Mir Nasir remarked, “We are extremely excited to partner with Telenor. CAPP is a platform where farmer interaction with peers and partners will create tremendous value. Platforms are able to scale best practices and reforms, enforce market equilibrium and create innovation in unprecedented ways. CAPP will be the cornerstone of a prosperous Punjab and prosperous Pakistan”
