"Being a practicing corporate lawyer and Barrister, dairy business was entirely a different game for me but the training program on Dairy Farming supported by Agribusiness Support Fund (ASF) motivated me so much that I immediately started my own dairy farm business. It indeed is a wonderful feeling to become a trained entrepreneur and owner of such a profitable business. Thank you ASF for promoting wonderful ideas”.

“ASF came up with the idea and also extended its financial support to the Association for setting up a Business Resource Centre at Karachi. This proved to be quite beneficial for us, since now the members have a common platform to sit and discuss various issues. The centre arranges seminars / workshops and disseminates useful information among members. On behalf of all the members of my Association, I thank ASF for its valuable support”.

“We at Shah Agricultural Products understood the value of the information system but were affected by the lack of investment in information technology in the Agriculture sector. ASF in this regard was a great help and has transformed our accounting, information-keeping and human resources. Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank ASF team for its support and guidance through the process”.

“We are the first ever Mango-PMO in the country to receive GlobalGap certification and this we achieved with the grant support of ASF. PMO-member farmers include: Major Tariq Khan, Saleem Alizai & Bar. Waseem Khan. We are extremely thankful to ASF for supporting us in GlobalGap certification and appreciate its role in development of agribusiness sector of Pakistan”.

“Asim Agriculture Farm appreciates the role of ASF in providing substantial assistance in the form of matching grant in getting GlobalGap certification and Agriculture software program. I hope that ASF will continue to assist the farming community in its efforts to meet the Global challenges of agriculture”.

“Being a Date grower, I am thankful to ASF team for providing support in every aspect of Dates production, promotion and marketing. Due to ASF support and continuous efforts we are now working as a group for the promotion and development of our businesses that we never thought of in a village like Dhakki. On behalf of Dhakki Dates Cooperative Society, I once again thank ASF for its support”.

“Institute for Development of Entrepreneurs in Agribusiness (IDEA) is the ‘call of the day!’ ASF’s belief in IDEA, and its initial support, has provided ECI the impetus to give wings to the concept. While ECI may have set up IDEA anyway, to have the support, guidance and mentoring of an institution of ASF’s stature has provided IDEA the required market credibility and has facilitated its dynamic growth”.

“We started tunnel-farming with the support of ASF. The yield we got from 1 acre was equal to what we used to get from 8 acres under traditional farming. Next year, we will increase the area under tunnel-farming to 14 acres which will fetch us even better returns as we are now well trained with ASF’s support. This is the best thing that ASF could do for small-scale farmers”.

“Previously, we used to sell milk at low prices, hardly earning any profit for ourselves. After ASF’s support we set up a cream separation unit and now we are selling dairy value added products at premium prices. Our FEG now even buys milk from non-members and processes it. We are so happy with this new business activity and this could have not been possible without the support of ASF”.

“I didn’t believe in the chilli solar dryer introduced in the Sanghar region by ASF in collaboration with SAFWCO. I thought it won’t work. However, when I myself tried mini solar dryer for my chilli produce with ASF support, the results were unbelievable. I am so happy with the earnings from dried chillies that now I am planning to install even bigger machine this year. I really thank ASF for supporting this technology in the region”.

“ASF’s project to introduce solar dryers in the Sindh region is a revolutionary step towards solution of long-lasting problems of chilli growers. The chilli growers are now getting premium return on their produce and this is something they never ever dreamt of. I personally thank ASF for collaborating with SAFWCO to promote modern solar dryer for chillies in Sindh.”

“My tissue culture lab for banana plant is under construction with the support of ASF. This project is the first ever initiative of its kind taken by private sector in Pakistan. The project will not only enable the farmers to get a consistent supply of locally produced, virus free, good quality banana plants at fairly reasonable prices but it will also save substantial foreign exchange for the country. I appreciate ASF’s sincere efforts and its vital role in the development of agribusiness sector of Pakistan”.

“It is really nice to see an organization like ASF working in Pakistan. I have found them to be extremely cooperative, professional and helpful. I thank ASF for its valuable support.”

“Under the ASF supported project, we sold 62 maunds of pickles worth Rs. 362,000, last year, and earned good profit. I am a widow but my children go to the best private school in Haripur and brother pays their fees. This year for the first time I was able to pay their fees. Do you know, how that feels?”

“Because of ASF’s FEGs project, RCDS holds a pioneer position in introducing tunnel farming, strawberry cultivation, floriculture trend, certified nurseries, seed development and value addition through common facility centre in target areas of Punjab”.

“We used to notice that people preferred to pick 1-Kg box of strawberries rather than buying from the heaps in shops, as it is delicate fruit and spoils in plastic bags. Thanks to ASF, last year we cultivated the best strawberries in the region and sold these in proper cartons. As a result, we were able to get premium price of Rs.60/65 per 1-Kg box as compared with the usual price of Rs.35/45 per Kg. Thank you ASF.”