In order to assist local farmers in overcoming the obstacles to greater productivity and profitability, Syngenta Pakistan Limited, a leading agriculture innovation and technology company that provides crop protection, seeds, and digital services to millions of Pakistani farmers, has successfully launched CENTRIGO Farming Ecosystem. By maximising food production through holistic solutions provided via a network of physical centres, supplemented by digital tools to serve farmers at scale, CENTRIGO addresses the end-to-end challenges of farmers to ensure that farming is effective and profitable.
Pakistan, a nation of more than 225 million people, is at the core of growing climate and food security challenges, with an additional 56% predicted population growth by 2050. Local farmers are caught in the middle of this predicament, trying to supply a growing population with healthy food while navigating the effects of climate change and market inefficiencies. They frequently receive inadequate care and lack access to fundamental technologies that may maximise the productivity and value of their farms and food.
Setting a new standard for the sector, CENTRIGO will provide access to the necessary products, technology, and services, including agricultural inputs, Agri financing, crop insurance, drone spraying services, and farm machinery, all in one location, solving the major pain points of farmers. To deliver these services, CENTRIGO has gathered industry leaders, including Salam Takaful Limited for crop insurance, Drone Robotics for drone spraying services, Japan Machinery Store for farm equipment, and Bakhabar Kissan for remote farm management. CENTRIGO will continue to forge strategic alliances to better serve farmers.
On January 11, the first CENTRIGO facility was officially opened in Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Important participants in the ceremony included government officials, the executive team of Syngenta Pakistan, partners, and local farmers. The first of many centres Syngenta Pakistan would open this year was this one.
Speaking on the occasion, Zeeshan Hasib Baig – Country General Manager Syngenta Pakistan – said:
“In line with our farmer-centric vision and in continuation of our efforts to facilitate our farmers, we are excited to launch CENTRIGO farming ecosystem in Pakistan. This is a groundbreaking initiative which will provide end-to-end services and products to our growers in one place, therefore eradicating the need for them to travel to multiple locations to get the required services and products. We strongly believe that the CENTRIGO centers will help in addressing Pakistan’s food security challenges by building robust food systems and by supporting our farmers in improving their crop yields through partnerships.”
When speaking at the opening of the Swabi centre, Director General Agriculture Extension KPK Jan Muhammad said, “One of the main issues that our local farmers confront is the distance that they have to go to receive various agri products and services. By opening CENTRIGO centres, Syngenta Pakistan has made significant progress in resolving this problem. We are grateful for the cutting-edge goods, services, and digital solutions Syngenta Pakistan will offer through CENTRIGO, and we are optimistic that this special intervention will boost farm productivity and increase revenues for our growers. The KPK Agriculture Extension Department has model farm services centres around the province and is aiming to assist farmers at the government level.”