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Agritech entrepreneurs set up ‘digital dera’ in heart of Pakistan’s remote farming belt

Farm workers harvest strawberries at a field in Lahore on March 5, 2021. (AFP)
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Updated 12 October 2021
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Agritech entrepreneurs set up ‘digital dera’ in heart of Pakistan’s remote farming belt

  • The smart village provides 2,000 farmers free access to Internet, digital solutions to increase yield and manage farms smartly 
  • Punjab director general for agriculture says will work with the startup to launch similar initiatives in other parts of province
Updated 12 October 2021
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: A group of young Pakistani agritech entrepreneurs have launched a ‘first of its kind’ initiative called Digital Dera in remote parts of Pakistan’s fertile Punjab province, aiming to empower farmers with latest agriculture solutions and help them create smart villages.
Earlier this month, while announcing that Pakistani startups had raised a record $305 million in investment globally in 2021, commerce adviser Abdul Razak Dawood urged Pakistani entrepreneurs to focus on agritech, which is the use of technology and technological innovation to improve the efficiency and output of agricultural processes.
This month, Tazah Technologies, a Pakistani B2B agriculture marketplace launched two months ago to provide innovative supply chain solutions to the agricultural sector, raised $2 million in a pre-seed round led by Global Founders Capital and Zayn Capital.
Digital Dera, or smart village, has been established at village Chak 26-SP in the Pakpattan district of Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province and its farming heartland. The initiative is currently providing services to more than 2,000 farmers in villages in the area and plans to expand its network through sub-offices in other regions, its founders said.
The project is a joint collaboration of Agriculture Republic and the Internet Society and is backed by Hayat Farms Pakpattan, Accountability Lab and the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the largest telecommunications provider in Pakistan.
“We brought fast-speed Internet from the city all the way to the most remote, rural and agriculturally dense region of the country, and set up a Digital Dera on October 2 with a technological environment comparable to any city,” Fouad Riaz Bajwa, the co-founder of Digital Dera, told Arab News.
“This environment enables free-of-cost access to data, information and knowledge that farmers, youth and especially women can access about farming and agricultural innovations.”




A team member of Pakistan’s first Digital Dera provides information to a farmer at village Chak 26-SP in the Pakpattan region of Punjab, Pakistan, on October 9, 2021. (Courtesy: Aamer Hayat Bhandara)

Aamer Hayat Bhandara, a young Pakpattan-based farmer who co-founded Digital Dera with Bajwa, said a key part of the project was that a team of experts from the group’s other startup, Agriculture Republic, was always available to guide farmers, provide information and connect them to experts through Zoom, Skype and other platforms.
“We are providing digital and online means to increase crop yield, smart management of farms and promote agriculture products to the world from the heart of Pakistan’s rural center,” he said.




A team member of Pakistan’s first Digital Dera provides information to a farmer at village Chak 26-SP in the Pakpattan region of Punjab, Pakistan, on October 9, 2021. (Courtesy: Aamer Hayat Bhandara)

“We are starting weekly training sessions and one day will be reserved for women only. It will also serve as a digital hub to organize awareness and capacity-building sessions to educate the youth and small farmers on precision agriculture, food security and climate change policy spaces.”
Speaking to Arab News, Dr. Muhammad Anjum Ali, director general for agriculture in Punjab, said Digital Dera was the “first of its kind” startup to provide farmers a physical space as well as round-the-clock advice from agritech experts.




A view of Pakistan’s first Digital Dera which provides access to online resources to farmers at village Chak 26-SP in the Pakpattan region of Punjab, Pakistan, on October 9, 2021. (Courtesy: Aamer Hayat Bhandara)

“This is a private sector initiative and installed in an area where there was no Internet availability, but it was very fertile and high-value crops area,” he said. “We aimed to cooperate with them and are planning to launch such initiatives in other parts of the country as well.”
Waqar Ahmad, a general manager for digital services at PTCL, said the company was had decided to provide Internet and backend services to the startup so that farmers could benefit and enhance their produce.
“We will partner with other such initiatives as well to expand the outreach of Internet-based solutions to farmers. Our aim is to contribute to the availability of information at the doorstep of a farmer,” Ahmed told Arab News.
Nadeem Nasir, a spokesperson for Ignite, a national technology fund that supports the establishment of startups in Pakistan, said what was “unique” about Digital Dera was that they had established a digital hub right in the middle of a farming community.
“This center can be beneficial for other agritech startups as well,” Nasir said. “They can use this space to educate and train farmers about their own applications and other products.”




A view of Pakistan’s first Digital Dera which provides access to online resources to farmers at village Chak 26-SP in the Pakpattan region of Punjab, Pakistan, on October 9, 2021. (Courtesy: Aamer Hayat Bhandara)

 

Topics: Digital Dera #pakistan

Pakistan announces tariff cuts on imports under Azerbaijan trade deal

Updated 8 sec ago
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Pakistan announces tariff cuts on imports under Azerbaijan trade deal

  • Imports from Azerbaijan exempted from all kinds of customs and regulatory duties from Dec. 16
  • Pakistan and Azerbaijan signed trade agreement in July during President Aliyev’s visit to Islamabad
Updated 8 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has waived off customs and regulatory duties on imports from Azerbaijan under the Pakistan-Azerbaijan Preferential Trade Agreement, the finance ministry said in a notification this month.

During Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s two-day visit to Pakistan in July, both nations agreed to enhance the volume of bilateral trade to $2 billion, vowing to strengthen ties and increase cooperation in mutually beneficial economic projects. They also signed the Pakistan-Azerbaijan Preferential Trade Agreement to boost economic cooperation through the reduction of tariffs on goods like Pakistani sports equipment, leather, and pharmaceuticals as well as Azerbaijani oil and gas products.

“The federal government is pleased to exempt with effect from Dec. 16, 2024, the import into Pakistan from Azerbaijan of the goods specified,” the finance ministry said in a notification. adding that imports from Azerbaijan would be exempted from all kinds of tariffs including customs duty, additional customs duty and regulatory duty. 

“Provided that where the rates of customs duty, additional customs duty, and regulatory duty [...] are higher than specified rates, the lower rates [...] shall apply,” it added.

The tariff concessions cover items including shelled hazelnuts or filberts, apricots, vegetable saps and extracts, non-stemmed tobacco, polyethylene, propylene copolymers, casing, tubing, drill pipes and refined copper wire with a maximum cross-sectional dimension exceeding 6 mm.

In recent weeks, there has been a flurry of visits, investment talks and economic activity between officials from Pakistan and the Central Asian nations as well as other transcontinental and landlocked countries like Azerbaijan as Islamabad seeks to consolidate the South Asian nation’s role as a pivotal trade and transit hub.

Topics: Pakistan Azerbaijan Trade deal Arab News Pakistan Federal Board of Revenue

In latest challenge to army, Islamabad judge suspends order requiring vetting of TV news analysts

Updated 20 December 2024
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In latest challenge to army, Islamabad judge suspends order requiring vetting of TV news analysts

  • Pakistan’s media regulator had instructed TV channels to seek army media wing’s approval before inviting retired officers as defense analysts 
  • Justice Babar Sattar is among six Islamabad judges who has accused army’s ISI spy agency of coercing them in ‘politically consequential’ cases
Updated 20 December 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Justice Babar Sattar of the Islam­abad High Court (IHC) this week suspended an order by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority instructing TV channels to seek clearance from the military’s media wing before inviting retired military officers on current affairs programs as analysts.

Sattar was hearing a case challenging the much-debated April 2019 PEMRA notification, following which the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had released a list of 26 retired officers that it said were allowed to appear as defense analysts.PEM

“The Islam­abad High Court has suspen­ded a Pemra’s notification requ­i­ring defense analysts to obtain clearance from the ISPR before appearing on television programs,” Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported.

Most major Pakistani media outlets also reported on the development. 

“Based on the presented arguments, the court suspended the notification, stating that it would remain ineffective until a final decision is announced in the case.”

The next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2025.

At a hearing of the case in September, Sattar had questioned the federal government on the military media wing’s “exclusive right” to decide who qualified to appear on TV as a defense analyst. The court also questioned why PEMRA had issued that notification in the first place and whether it had received a request from within the Pakistan army or ISPR.

PEMRA’s lawyer sought more time from the court to respond.

“Let PEMRA produce before the Court the original noting file on the basis of which the impugned notification was processed, recommended and issued to assist the Court as to why PEMRA felt the need to issue the said notification,” Justice Sattar wrote. 

During that hearing, the court had asked PEMRA’s counsel about the watchdog’s authority to regulate the content of discussions on TV and issue directions for the pre-clearance of individuals by ISPR or others. 

PEMRA’s lawyer pointed to Section 20-A of the PEMRA Ordinance, which relates to the obligation of licensees to uphold the sovereignty, integrity and security of Pakistan. 

“When asked as to what does pre-clearance of individuals providing content on TV have to do with the sovereignty or security of Pakistan and how can PEMRA impose a prior restraint on speech, the learned counsel for PEMRA seeks further time to assist the Court,” the written order had read. 

Pakistani journalist bodies and many journalists have long accused the government and the powerful military of censoring the press. Both deny allegations and insist they do not suppress the freedom of the press.

Sattar’s new order is not his first challenge to the army. He was among six Islamabad High Court judges who earlier this year wrote a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council watchdog and accused the military’s ISI spy agency of intimidating and coercing them over legal cases, particularly “politically consequential” ones.

The judges provided various examples of alleged interference, including a case concerning Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan. The letter also mentioned incidents where the judges said their relatives were abducted and tortured and their homes were secretly surveilled, aiming to coerce them into delivering favorable judgments in specific cases.

The army denies it interferes in political matters. It has so far refrained from commenting on the judges’ letter regarding the ISI’s alleged interference and intimidation.

Topics: islamabad high court Justice Babar Sattar PEMRA

Imposing ‘dala’ pickup trucks symbolize Pakistan’s power gulf

Updated 20 December 2024
AFP
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Imposing ‘dala’ pickup trucks symbolize Pakistan’s power gulf

  • Hilux has become a symbol of power, affluence and intimidation in a society marked by significant class divisions
  • “Dala,” as it is locally known, also serves as euphemism for military intelligence agencies involved in covert operations
Updated 20 December 2024
AFP

KARACHI: In Pakistan’s largest city, cars inch forward in bumper-to-bumper traffic. But some seamlessly carve through the jam: SUVs flanked by Toyota Hilux pickup trucks.
The Hilux has become a symbol of power, affluence and intimidation in a society marked by significant class divisions.
“The vehicle carries an image that suggests anyone escorted by one must be an important figure,” 40-year-old politician Usman Perhyar told AFP.
“It has everything — showiness, added security and enough space for several people to sit in the open cargo bed.”

This photograph taken on November 12, 2024 shows security personnel riding on the back of a Toyota Hilux pick-up truck locally known as 'Dala', bearing a flag of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), along a street in Karachi. (AFP)

On Karachi’s chaotic roads, Hiluxes part the traffic, speeding up behind cars and flashing their lights demanding drivers move out of their way.
The Hilux first became popular among feudal elites for its reliability in rural and mountain regions.
But in recent years, the “Dala,” as it is locally known, has soared in popularity as an escort vehicle among newly successful urban business owners.
Guards with faces wrapped in scarves and armed with AK-47s can be packed into the back of the truck, its windows blacked out.
“It is a status symbol. People have one or two pickups behind them,” said Fahad Nazir, a car dealer based in Karachi.

This photograph taken on November 11, 2024 shows local politician Usman Perhyar (L) driving a Toyota Hilux pick-up truck locally known as 'Dala', along a street in Karachi. (AFP)

The Hilux debuted in 1968, but the model that became popular in Pakistan was the mid-2000s Hilux Vigo.
It was later upgraded and rebranded as the Revo, with prices ranging from 10 to 15 million rupees (approximately $36,000 to $54,000).
Their prices have remained steady and they retain excellent resale value in a market traditionally dominated by their manufacturer, Toyota.
“Amongst whatever luxury items we have, this is the fastest-selling item,” car seller Nazir told AFP.

This photograph taken on November 20, 2024 shows politician Ali Warraich escorted by his private security personnel on a fleet of Toyota vehicles, to a meeting with residents in Gujrat, Punjab province. (AFP)

Dealers say there was a spike in rentals during February’s national elections.
“I swear to God, you can’t run an election without a Revo,” said Sajjad Ali Soomro, a provincial parliamentarian from Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
In the eastern city of Gujrat, politician Ali Warraich — from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party — finds it essential to travel with an escort of two of the trucks.
They allow him to navigate off-road terrain to attend dozens of weddings and funerals a month.
“Politics without this vehicle has become nearly impossible,” he tells AFP. Without one, he argues, potential supporters could question his influence and turn toward competitors.
“As a result, it has become a basic necessity,” he said.

This photograph taken on November 12, 2024 shows paramilitary personnel riding on the back of a Toyota Hilux pick-up truck locally known as 'Dala', as they patrol along a street in Karachi. (AFP)

The truck has also become a trademark in the suppression of dissenting voices, activists told AFP, with the word “Dala” serving as a euphemism for military intelligence agencies involved in covert operations.
The unmarked cars with plainclothes men inside were used extensively by authorities rounding up senior PTI leaders and officials in recent crackdowns — reinforcing the vehicle’s notorious reputation.
“Every time I see this vehicle on the road, I go through the same trauma I endured during my custody with agencies,” said one PTI member who was picked up earlier this year.
Former leader Khan was bundled into a black Dala by paramilitary soldiers when he was arrested in May 2023 in the capital Islamabad, a detention he blamed on the powerful military leadership.
He later accused political heavyweight and three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif of trying to win the election “through Vigo Dala” — a swipe alleging the military was “carrying” his campaign.
Pakistani poet and activist Ahmad Farhad, known for criticizing the military’s involvement in politics, was taken away in a Hilux after a raid on his home in May by what he said were intelligence agencies.
“Sometimes, they park these vehicles around or behind my car, sending a clear message: ‘We are around’,” he told AFP. “A Dala aligns with their business of spreading fear, which they take great satisfaction in.”
In Karachi, a city rife with street crimes, the imposing Dala deters even outlaws.
“A typical mobile snatcher would opt for maybe looting a car as opposed to a truck,” said 35-year-old automobile enthusiast Zohaib Khan.
Increased street crime has led to more security checks by police, further slowing down movement across the city. But Hiluxes are immune.
Police “don’t typically stop me because they feel that I might be someone who might impact them in a bad way or harm them in some way or the other,” Khan said.

Topics: Dala pickup trucks Pakistan Hilux Vigo Arab News Pakistan

Pakistan confirms this year’s eighth case of mpox virus

Updated 20 December 2024
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Pakistan confirms this year’s eighth case of mpox virus

  • Latest case detected in 32-year-old man with a travel history outside Pakistan
  • Mpox is mild but people with weak immune systems at higher risk of complications
Updated 20 December 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistan’s health ministry on Friday confirmed the country’s eighth case of the mpox virus this year in a patient who had recently returned from travels abroad.

People who contract mpox get flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of complications from the infection. 

Pakistan confirmed its first mpox case in August and has since implemented screening protocols at all airports and border entry points. 

“The 32-year-old patient has been isolated and treated,” Health Ministry spokesperson Sajid Shah told Arab News. “He is experiencing mild symptoms and is expected to recover soon.”

The spokesman added that the patient had recently returned from traveling in a Gulf country. 

The World Health Organization in August declared a global health emergency over the spread of a new mutated strain of mpox named clade I, which first emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has since spread to several countries, leading to increased monitoring and preventive measures worldwide. 

Pakistan has so far not reported any cases of the new mutation. 

Topics: MPOX Karachi

Pakistan, China to build expressway linking Gwadar port to airport

Updated 20 December 2024
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Pakistan, China to build expressway linking Gwadar port to airport

  • Starts of operations at Chinese-funded airport in Balochistan was pushed back for a security review in August after deadly militant attacks 
  • Airport will handle domestic and international flights, according to Civil Aviation Authority, and be one of the country’s biggest airports
Updated 20 December 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad and Beijing have agreed on the construction of an expressway connecting Pakistan’s southern deep-sea port of Gwadar with a new airport being developed by China in the coastal town, state-run APP news agency said on Friday. 

In a statement earlier this month, the Pakistan Airports Authority reiterated its commitment to opening the New Gwadar International Airport by the end of December, after the start of operations at the Chinese-funded airport in Pakistan’s Balochistan province was pushed back for a security review following deadly attacks by separatist militants in the area in August. 

The airport will handle domestic and international flights, according to Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, and will be one of the country’s biggest airports.

“Pakistan and China on Thursday agreed on the construction of an expressway connecting the Gwadar Port with the new Gwadar Airport,” APP reported on Thursday after meetings between Chinese officials and Pakistani Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who is on a visit to China. 

“Additionally, feasibility studies for new motorways, including the Mirpur-Muzaffarabad and Karachi-Hyderabad routes, were agreed to be initiated at the earliest.”

China has pledged over $65 billion in infrastructure, energy and other projects in Pakistan under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Part of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, the program in Pakistan is also developing the deep-water port close to the new $200-million airport in Gwadar, a joint venture between Pakistan, Oman and China that is close to completion.

Although no Chinese projects were targeted in the latest militant attacks in August, they have been frequently attacked in the past by separatists who view China as a foreign invader trying to gain control of impoverished but mineral-rich Balochistan, the site of a decades-long insurgency. 

Recent attacks, including one in which two Chinese workers were killed in a suicide bombing in Karachi, have forced Beijing to publicly criticize Pakistan over security lapses and there have been widespread media reports in recent weeks that China wants its own security forces on the ground to protest its nationals and projects, a demand Islamabad has long resisted. 

Topics: Pakistan China Ties Gwadar Port Gwadar airport

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