ISLAMABAD: Al-Ghazi Tractors Limited (AGTL) has called for smarter and more accessible farm mechanisation in Pakistan, saying the next major gains in food security will depend on combining reliable machinery with precision technology, digital tools and affordable access for farmers.
The company served as Platinum Sponsor of the Pakistan Agriculture Coalition’s Agri-Connections Conference & Expo 2026, where it outlined a farmer-led roadmap for expanding the use of modern agricultural technology across Pakistan.
Held on October 1 and 2 at the Lahore Expo Centre in partnership with the Government of Punjab, Agri-Connections Conference & Expo 2026 focused on the theme “Food Security and Agri-Investment in the Era of Climate Change.”
The World Bank, IFC and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) participated as strategic partners, bringing together policymakers, development institutions, agribusiness leaders, financiers and farmers.
Speaking on the first day of Agri-Connections Conference & Expo 2026, Al-Ghazi Tractors Limited Chief Executive Officer Yasin Seker said Pakistan’s agriculture sector faces four major pressures: crop yields below regional benchmarks, rising food demand, higher input costs for small farmers and the growing impact of irregular monsoons, heat stress and water scarcity.
Drawing on AGTL’s manufacturing operations dating back to 1983 at its Dera Ghazi Khan plant, Seker said the company’s role extends beyond tractors to localisation, supplier development, skills transfer in rural communities and nationwide after-sales support.
“For decades, Pakistani farmers have asked for dependable horsepower at an affordable price. That remains essential, but their needs are changing. Today they want productivity, uptime, efficient use of every input, and support across the entire life of the machine,” he said.
Seker highlighted telematics and precision guidance as two technologies with significant near-term potential for Pakistan’s agriculture sector.
Telematics can allow real-time monitoring of machine health, predictive maintenance alerts and clearer visibility of equipment use, helping shift servicing from reactive repairs to planned maintenance.
Precision guidance and automatic steering, meanwhile, can reduce overlapping field passes and improve the placement of seed, fertiliser and chemicals while delivering more consistent results.
Seker stressed that technology adoption must remain practical and farmer-led.
AGTL’s proposed approach begins with strengthening basic mechanisation and service support, followed by pilot projects for higher-value applications, assessment of farm-level economics, development of dealer and service capacity and expansion only where measurable benefits are demonstrated.
“Technology must follow value, not the other way round. If a solution cannot prove its worth on a farmer’s own field, it has no business being scaled,” Seker said.
On the second day of Agri-Connections Conference & Expo 2026, Seker joined the high-level panel “The Future of Technology in Agriculture,” where he called for Pakistan to move beyond conventional tractorisation towards a more integrated system of machinery, precision technology, digital tools and improved farmer access.
AGTL said affordability and access remain important barriers, particularly for small farmers who may not be able to purchase every machine required for their operations.
The company highlighted custom hiring, machinery rental, leasing and mechanisation-as-a-service models as possible ways to expand access to modern agricultural equipment.
AGTL also stressed that broader progress would require coordinated action by farmers, manufacturers, dealers, government institutions, financial institutions, technology providers and development partners.
Seker said affordable equipment finance, crop insurance, stronger extension services and locally adapted technology would be important to ensuring that new agricultural tools deliver practical value in the field.
“No single stakeholder can close this gap alone. When government, financiers, manufacturers, technology providers and farmers move together, modern agricultural technology becomes affordable, accessible and genuinely useful in the field,” he said.
At its stall during Agri-Connections Conference & Expo 2026, AGTL showcased its New Holland tractors to visitors from across the agricultural value chain.
The company’s Platinum sponsorship follows its decision in June 2026 to join Pakistan Agriculture Coalition as a Patron, bringing more than four decades of experience manufacturing New Holland tractors in Pakistan to PAC’s private sector-led agenda for a more productive, technology-driven and competitive agriculture sector.