A seminar entitled, “Development in Punjab: Setting New Priorities in Agriculture and Industries”, was jointly organised by the Consortium for Development Policy Research (CDPR) and the International Growth Center (IGC) in partnership with the Finance Department (FD) and Planning and Development Department (P&DD), Government of Punjab, on 22 January 2019 at the Dinshaw Hall, The Avari, Mall Road.
The seminar had sessions on Working with Donors: Improving Program Design and Implementation, Opportunities for Agriculture, Identifying Sectoral Priorities and Opportunities, Enhancing Productivity through Skills and Innovation, and Redirecting focus towards SMEs.
Following are proceedings of the event:
Opening Remarks:
Dr. Ijaz Nabi (Country Director, IGC)
Mr. Habib Gillani (Chairman, P&DD, Government of Punjab)
Mr. Hamid Yaqoob (Secretary, FD, Government of Punjab)
Session 1: Working with Donors: Improving Program Design and Implementation
Chair: Mr. Makhdum Hashim (Minister of Finance, Government of Punjab
Moderator: Mr. Hasaan Khawar (CDPR)
Mr. Patchamuthu Illangovan (Country Director, World Bank (WB))
Mr. Jinal Shah (Punjab Representative and Head of Department for International Development (DFID) Lahore)
Mr. Guntur Sugiyarto (Principal Economist, Asian Development Bank (ADB))
Session 2: Opportunities for Agriculture
Chair: Mr. Arif Nadeem (CEO, Pakistan Agriculture Coalition (PAC))
Presentations:
1. AgriSmart: improving agricultural productivity through an IT-based and incentive driven performance management system for public extension.
Authors: Dr. Garance Genicot (Georgetown), Dr. Ghazala Mansuri (WB) and Ms. Zahra Mansoor (Oxford) Presentation by: Ms. Zahra Mansoor (Oxford)
2. Precision agriculture for development – transforming how farmers receive agricultural advice.
Project Manager: Mr. Adeel Shafqat, Center for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP) Presentation by: Mr. Adeel Shafqat (CERP)
https://cdpr.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Final-PAD-Presentation-22-1-19-Adeel-Shafqat.pdf
3. CPEC and the opportunity for agriculture.
Authors: Ms. Nazish Afraz, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Mr. Hasaan Khawar (CDPR) Presentation by: Mr. Hasaan Khawar (CDPR)
https://cdpr.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/CPEC-Agriculture-IGC.pdf
4. The design of anti-poverty transfers to the ultra-poor: asset transfers or cash transfers.
Authors: Dr. Imran Rasul, University College London (UCL), Dr. Adnan Qadir, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Dr. Oriana Bandiera (LSE) and Dr. Robin Burgess (LSE) Presentation by: Dr. Adnan Qadir (LSE)
Panelists:
1. Mr. Imran Sheikh (Agronomist and Project Lead, Galaxy Rice Mills)
2. Mr. Raza Khan (M&E Advisor, Agriculture Delivery Unit (ADU), Punjab)
3. Mr. Ahmed Umair (CEO, Vital Agri Nutrients)
Session 3: Identifying Sectoral Priorities and Opportunities
Chair: Ehsan Malik, CEO, Pakistan Business Council
Presentations:
1. Garments for growth.
Authors: Mr. Hasaan Khawar (CDPR), Ms. Nadia Mukhtar (LUMS), Dr. Umair Javed (LUMS) Presentation by: Ms. Nadia Mukhtar (LUMS)
https://cdpr.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Garments-for-Growth-Nadia-Mukhtar.pdf
2. Boosting the auto industry.
Authors: Ms. Nazish Afraz (LUMS), Dr. Faisal Bari, Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS), Mr. Usman Khan (LUMS) and Mr. Hasaan Khawar (CDPR) Presentation by: Mr. Usman Khan (LUMS)
https://cdpr.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Usman-Khan.pdf
Panelists:
1. Mr. Fazl-ur-Rehman (Project Director, Cluster Development Initiative)
2. Mr. Waseem Akhtar (CEO, Cotton Web)
3. Mr. Nabeel Hashmi (Chairman, Thermosol)
4. Mr. Sajid Minhas (CEO, Delta Garments)
Session 4: Enhancing Productivity through Skills and Innovation
Chair: Mr. Salim Ghauri (Founder and CEO Netsol)
Presentations:
1. Measuring innovation in the textile sector of Pakistan.
Authors Dr. Azam Chaudhry (Lahore School of Economics) and Dr. Waqar Wadho (Lahore School of Economics) Presentation by: Dr. Waqar Wadho (Lahore School of Economics)
https://cdpr.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dr.-Waqar-Wadho.pdf
2. Innovation and technological upgradation in the Sialkot manufacturing sector.
Authors: Dr. Azam Chaudhry (Lahore School of Economics), Dr. David Atkin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Dr. Eric Verhoogen (Columbia) Presentation by: Dr. Azam Chaudhry (Lahore School of Economics)
https://cdpr.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dr.-Azam-Chaudhry.pdf
3. Addressing gaps in skills
Presentation by: Mr. Jawad Khan, CEO, Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF)
Panelists:
1. Mr. Amir Aziz (GM, Operations Manager, Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA))
2. Mr. Abdul Razzaq Gohar (CEO, Infinity Engineering)
3. Mr. Waqar Ahmad (Board Member, LCCI)
4. Mr. Shoaib Zahid Malik (Director, Kausar Group of Companies, Chairman Punjab Industrial Estate Development & Management Company (PIEDMC))
Session 5: SMEs as Driver of Growth
Panelists:
1. Ms. Nadia Jahangir (Director Policy, Small and Medium Enterprises  Development Authority (SMEDA))
2. Dr. Naved Hamid (Resident Director, IGC)
3. Mr. Ahmed Khan ( CEO, Founder Cheetay)