Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (15/12/2023): The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) together with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade (KP BOIT) jointly hosted a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture and Food Summit to promote investment opportunities for the businesses through B2B & B2G arrangements for the sustainable agrifood system transformation.  
Attended by more than 300 participants, the summit provided a platform for matchmaking between potential private investors, start-ups, academia, and commercial banks to mobilize private sector investment around selected commodities. Around 30 small businesses and start-ups from private sector displayed their products and got networking opportunities to boost their businesses.
Booths for B2B meetings were setup, which served as an avenue for investors to connect with agriculture companies to exchange knowledge and access to available options related to transform agriculture and food sector.
In his opening remarks, Aamer Irshad, Head of Program, FAO Pakistan, welcomed  the distinguished investors and start-ups and informed that the investment in agriculture is getting low therefore food production is witnessing challenges. This trend is negatively affecting the hunger and food security. To counter this, Director- General of FAO has launched an initiative called Hand-in-Hand initiative (HiHi) to address challenges related to poverty & food security, and improve productivity along with promoting investment in agriculture sector, he added.
While highlighting the portfolio of FAO in the province, Head of FAO office in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Farrukh Toirov informed that FAO focused subsector for agribusiness in the agriculture sector are horticulture, crop production, livestock, forestry, apiculture and floriculture. Small businesses are learning best practices with the interventions of FAO such as off-season vegetable production, drip irrigation system, walk-in-tunnel, corrugated cardboard carton, solar tunnel drier and others to improve better.
Iqbal Sarwar, Director Business Facilitation, KP-BOIT highlighted the aim and importance of the event. He gave a detailed presentation on role of KP-BOIT, different initiatives taken by KP Government, various sectors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and investment opportunities therein.
Other speakers from the State Bank of Pakistan, Board of Investment, livestock & Agriculture departments, Agri-tourism, USAID, Karandaz and others emphasized the challenges faced by the agriculture sector and proposed various reforms, policy actions and identified investment potential for the sustainable management of the agriculture sector of Pakistan.  
Different sessions on agribusiness, agri-tourism, financial assistance opportunities, prospects of tea cultivation, investment opportunities for slaughterhouse establishment, potential of olive oil and others were held.
A Panel discussion was also organized on the opportunities, challenges and way forward for investment in agriculture, livestock and fisheries for catalysing investment to enhance agricultural competitiveness, facilitated by the BOIT. The event was concluded after the B2B & B2G meetings and visit to stalls.
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For more information
Shariq Lashari, Snr. Communications Associate, 0321-3082691, [email protected]