Nestlé Waters Senior Vice President and Head of Technical Peter Hagmann inaugurated a site near Sheikhupura under Nestlé Pakistan’s Agricultural Efficiency Project. The project has the potential to help save 54 million liters of water annually.
It is part of the Company’s Caring for Water initiative which undertakes collective approach to help address the water issue.
The water saving will be made possible by the installation of drip irrigation as opposed to flood irrigation which is the traditional way of irrigating fields in Pakistan. All over the world, around 70% of water is used in agriculture sector. In Pakistan, that percentage stands at 90%, with 50% wastage due to poor irrigation methods. In order to save water in agriculture and improve productivity, Nestlé Pakistan has fostered partnerships with the government and farmers to promote drip irrigation.
The installation has been carried out by Nestlé Pakistan in collaboration with the Government of Punjab, covering 40% and 60% of the farmer’s cost respectively. The Agricultural Efficiency Project was initiated in the year 2017 and has so far covered 109 acres of land in 2018 with an estimated 280 million litres of water saved.
At the inauguration ceremony, Peter Hagmann said, “Businesses in Pakistan need to realize the essence of being water conscious not only because of their survival but for the overall wellbeing of global ecosystems and economies. Nestlé Pakistan realizes the significance of taking a collective approach and working beyond the factory gates. With partners such as farmers, government, communities, academia and civil society, Nestlé Pakistan is taking collective actions to promote responsible use of water.”
Khurram Zia, Country Business Manager Nestlé Waters, while sharing his views said, “The Agricultural Efficiency Project has massive potential of saving water by taking a step out of conventional farming. Water is a shared resource requiring every stakeholder’s ownership and participation to help tackle the issue. Nestlé’s vision towards water efficiency is aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 and 12: clean water and sanitation, responsible consumption and production. Therefore, the company is devoted towards helping address the issue by encouraging all the stakeholders to be mindful of the utilization of water resources.”
