KARACHI: Federal Minister for Industries, Production, Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain on Wednesday emphasized that the Department of Plant Protection will be made more viable to increase the export target to stabilize the economy.
He expressed these views during his visit to the Plant Protection Department, where he also met with senior officers of the department and stakeholders. The minister also heard the grievances of the stakeholders and assured that their genuine problems would be addressed.
Director General of Plant Protection Department Tariq Khan and other senior officers also briefed the Union Minister about the department’s internal processes and operations.
The minister said that there is a need for quality production to increase exports against our imports. Boosting our exports could stabilize Pakistan’s economy, Rana Tanveer said, adding that inefficient agricultural management methods have caused a lot of damage to the economy and now these methods are being replaced with modern ones to achieve the desired goals.
He emphasized the need to restore the confidence of investors to come forward and invest their capital in agriculture and other sectors.
Rana Tanveer urged stakeholders to come up with appropriate strategies to address global food security concerns, which pose serious challenges.
He said that there is a popular demand for “halal” meat from non-Muslim countries as well, which shows that there are markets for our products and through structural strategies and long-term market analysis, we should try to penetrate these areas and expand the export base.
In their complaints, the stakeholders demanded ease of doing business so that they could operate at the highest possible level.
Director General of the Department of Plant Protection Tariq Khan urged the need for aversion to the ban on the export of products from Pakistan to European countries as it was of great concern to the industry. He said digitization of plant protection department and integration with Pakistan Single Window, inter-agency coordination and real-time data exchange would improve and lead to maintaining transparency and accountability.
Tariq Khan said on the direction of the federal minister, the plant protection department and stakeholders were tasked to maximize the registration of methyl bromide to ensure an enabling environment for fumigators, who in turn are directly responsible for plant yields and export quality of products.
The Federal Minister concluded by calling on the Ministry of Plant Protection and stakeholders to remain steadfast in transparent procedures. Rana Tanveer exhorted them to perform diligently and honestly to achieve the desired results.
The meeting was attended by senior officers of Plant Protection Department, representatives of Crop Life Pakistan Association, Fumigation Department of Plant Protection Department, Rice Export Association of Pakistan, APSEA and Customs Department. The meeting was attended by senior officials of Plant Protection Department, representatives of Crop Life Pakistan Association, Fumigation Department of Plant Protection Department, Rice Export Association of Pakistan, APSEA and Customs Department.
