
‘Digital cattle market' auctions conducted across Punjab
LAHORE: The Punjab Cattle Market Management and Development Company (PCMMDC), in collaboration with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), conducted digital cattle market auctions across Punjab from May 21 to May 23; this initiative resulted in a record-breaking revenue of Rs 15.35 billion over three days.
According to PITB, this marks the first time in Punjab's history that 112 cattle markets held auctions exclusively through a digital system, receiving over 2,788 bids. The Multan division led in revenue generation, contributing Rs 2.63 billion, followed by Lahore and Bahawalpur divisions with Rs 2.04 billion and Rs 2.02 billion, respectively.
This achievement aligns with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's vision to modernize governance, enhance transparency, and promote economic growth through digital transformation.
Commenting on the success of the digital cattle auctions, PCMMDC Chairman Ibrahim Tariq Shafi stated that this unprecedented outcome reflects PCMMDC's commitment to reforming the cattle trade sector through digital innovation. 'From day one, our mission has been to eliminate inefficiencies, ensure full transparency, and optimize revenue collection.
With the strong support of PITB and the adoption of advanced digital tools, we have achieved these goals on an unprecedented scale. We are dedicated to continuing this transformation across all cattle markets in Punjab to guarantee ease, fairness, and sustainable growth for all stakeholders,' he added.
The auctions were executed using PITB's e-Auction System, a state-of-the-art platform that facilitated end-to-end digital auctioning. Seamless and secure payments were processed through PayZen, PITB's homegrown digital payment gateway, which ensured full transparency and real-time accountability in all transactions.
PITB Chairman Faisal Yousaf, during a progress review meeting, praised the collaboration and its results.
'The implementation of our e-Auction System and PayZen Payment Gateway in cattle markets has not only enhanced transparency but also produced measurable impacts on governance and revenue collection. This achievement emphasizes Punjab's commitment to adopting technology for public welfare and economic reform.'
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Recorder
4 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Pakistan debt stock reaches all-time high of Rs75trn
KARACHI: The federal government's total debt stock surged by over Rs 6 trillion during the first ten months of this fiscal year (FY25) due to massive borrowing to finance the budget deficit. According to a statistic released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Wednesday, the central government's total debt, comprising domestic and external liabilities, rose by 9 percent during July-April of FY25. Overall, the stock reached an all-time high level of Rs 74.936 trillion by the end of April 2025 compared to Rs 68.914 trillion as of June 2024, depicting an increase of Rs 6.022 trillion. The major growth in debt stocks was attributed to domestic borrowings, which rose by 11.37 percent or Rs 5.363 trillion to reach Rs 52.523 trillion in April 2025 up from Rs 47.16 trillion in June 2024. The domestic debt comprised long-term loans worth Rs 44.132 trillion and short-term borrowings amounting to Rs 8.328 trillion. Pakistan govt's debt stock soars to Rs73.6trn by March-end External debt, in rupee terms, saw an increase of Rs 659 billion during the first ten months of FY25, reaching Rs 22.413 trillion by the end of April 2025 compared to Rs 21.754 trillion in June 2024. The SBP reported that the Weighted Average Customer Exchange Rate of the US dollar was Rs 278.3668 in June 2024 and Rs 280.9739 in April 2025. The federal government's debt showed a notable increase of Rs 1.248 trillion in April 2025 due to massive borrowing to finance the budget deficit. On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, the federal government's debt stock rose by 2 percent from Rs 73.688 trillion in March 2025 to Rs 74.936 trillion in April 2025. Analysts noted that the tax collection by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is 26 percent higher during the first eleven (July-May) months of this fiscal year compared to previous year; however, cumulatively FBR has failed to achieve the target. The shortfall in revenue collection has compelled the federal government to borrow from domestic and external resources. FBR had missed its revenue collection target by some one trillion rupees in the first eleven months of this fiscal year due to lower imports and slowing economic growth. The FBR has collected some Rs10.233 trillion between July-May of FY25 as against the budgetary target of Rs11.241 trillion for the same period. The SBP has already emphasised the need for a sharp acceleration in tax revenue growth to meet the annual targets. Achieving the primary balance target remains a significant challenge for the government. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025


Business Recorder
8 hours ago
- Business Recorder
JI chief meets Bangladesh's ambassador
LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman met with Bangladesh's Ambassador to Pakistan Iqbal Hussain Khan. The meeting focused on bilateral relations, regional dynamics, and matters of mutual interest. Talking on the occasion, Rehman emphasized that both Pakistan and Bangladesh face similar challenges in the realms of defense and security. He called for stronger cooperation between the two countries, especially in sectors such as defense, education, trade, and technology. 'Pakistan and Bangladesh have entered a new era of friendship,' he said, underscoring the importance of deepening people-to-people connections and fostering closer ties at the societal level. He stressed that the people of both nations share historical and cultural bonds and cannot be separated by past divisions. 'Strengthening mutual friendship will contribute to the progress of both countries,' he remarked. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025


Business Recorder
8 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Agri sector witnesses dramatic slowdown: PKIC
ISLAMABAD: The country's agriculture sector has witnessed a dramatic slowdown, with growth dropping to 0.56 percent from 6.25 percent since July 2024, Pakistan Kissan Ittehad Council (PKIC) President Khalid Mehmood Khokhar said on Wednesday. Addressing at a press conference, he said that the decline in major crop yields has severely impacted both the economy and the livelihoods of farmers. He said that cotton production has dropped to 5.55 million bales — 50 percent below the government's target and 34 percent less than last year. Cotton import bill is projected to surge to $1.9 billion, up from $448 million the previous year, he said. Khokar said that the country's wheat production has also suffered, declining by 8.91 percent to 28.98 million tons from last year's 31.81 million tons. Maize production fell by 15.4 percent to 8.24 million tons, compared to 9.74 million tons in the previous year, he said. Khokhar stated that since May 2024, farmers have collectively suffered losses of around Rs2,200 billion in wheat alone — equivalent to 23.15 percent of the crop sector's contribution to GDP for the fiscal year 2023–24. The resulting financial strain has weakened farmers' purchasing power and affected the productivity of other crops as well, he said. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025