Govt Launches “Agri Stack” Plan To Digitize Pakistan’s Farming Sector

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), in partnership with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR), the Land Information & Management System (LIMS) and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), held a high-level consultation on Friday titled “Agri Stack – Building Digital Infrastructure for Pakistan’s Agricultural Future.”

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Aug, 2025) The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), in partnership with the Ministry of National food Security and Research (MNFSR), the Land Information & Management System (LIMS) and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), held a high-level consultation on Friday titled “Agri Stack – Building Digital Infrastructure for Pakistan’s Agricultural Future.”

The session convened senior representatives from federal and provincial governments, agri-tech startups, telcos, fintechs, international development partners, farmer associations and academia, both in person and online, to align on a shared vision for Pakistan’s agricultural digitization.

Addressing the event, Federal Minister for IT & Telecom, Ms Shaza Fatima Khawaja, highlighted that the Agri Stack aims to overcome deep-rooted structural challenges in agriculture, including fragmented data, lack of farmer IDs and credit history, inefficient subsidy delivery and weak market access.

“The Agri Stack will enable verified farmer identities, land data integration, precision advisory and efficient delivery of services like subsidies, crop insurance, and credit. This is the architecture for an inclusive and tech-driven agricultural transformation under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Digital Nation Pakistan, in collaboration with Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC),” she noted.

DG LIMS, Maj General (R) M Ayub Ahsan Bhatti also addressed the platform and highlighted the significance concentrated by this momentous initiative. He specified that Agri-Stack/PAKGROW is an exceptional concept that will innovate the Agricultural Arena of Pakistan by transforming and improving the lives of small farmers and convening policymaking.

CEO LIMS, Dr M Waqar Yasin, accentuated that LIMS, being the technical backbone of the initiative, will serve as the Central Agency and National Agri Database for Pakistan by amalgamating data from multiple streams to generate Farm Specific information relevant to cater to the needs of key stakeholders.

CEO Ignite, Rafique Ahmed Buriro, supported the Federal Minister’s and DG LIMS’ remarks and reaffirmed the commitment to building open, secure, and scalable digital infrastructure, positioning Agri Stack as the backbone of sustainable and innovative agri-solutions across the country.

Foundational components include farmer digital IDs and registries, consent-based data exchange, trusted payment rails, satellite-driven crop intelligence, and digital market platforms.

The consultation aimed to align stakeholders on governance and fast-track implementation through LIMS. Participants endorsed the formation of a Steering Committee co-chaired by MoITT and MNFSR, a Technical Working Group on data and cybersecurity and pilot squads from the public and private sectors.

Over the next 12–18 months, the initiative will prioritize use cases such as smart input subsidies, weather-indexed crop insurance, credit access through alternative data, and market linkages through LIMS. The session concluded with a clear roadmap for establishing working groups, launching 3–4 pilot projects and setting measurable milestones for a digitally empowered agricultural future.

The Agri Stack represents a critical step in reimagining agriculture as a digitally enabled ecosystem, empowering farmers, enhancing transparency and boosting economic resilience. The Ministry of IT reaffirmed its commitment to driving innovation and collaboration for a sustainable agricultural future.