The government is going to announce 'National Pesticide Policy' soon, as the draft of the policy will be placed before the Cabinet in its next meeting, likely to be held within the next ten days.
Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Live Stock Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind said this while talking to newsmen after addressing the concluding session of National Poultry Congress 2004 here on Saturday.
"In the proposed pesticide policy, stringent measures have been suggested to check the menace of adulteration in pesticides, apart from giving incentives and comprehensive procedures regarding fair distribution of import of pesticides," he said.
The government is considering extending incentives to those people who intend to manufacture pesticides in Pakistan, he said.
Rind said that different wheat procurement agencies would procure 5.6 million tons wheat this year.
He said that wheat imported from Australia was not according to the standards fixed by the Government of Pakistan. He hoped that the country would get 'good wheat crop' this year, which would be more than 20 million tons. He added that despite zero carryover stocks of wheat, "we would be able to cater" to domestic requirements of wheat.
He said that construction of new dams is a must to meet the water requirements. He said that Sindh province has some reservations on the construction of Kalabagh dam, but he hoped that General Musharraf would tackle this issue.
He said that 82,000 watercourses would be cemented within the next four years, which would save 40 percent water.
Earlier addressing the National Poultry Congress, he said that EU and China have extended special grants to Pakistan for tackling bird flu-like crisis in future. He emphasised upon all stakeholders and government functionaries to join hands to face WTO challenges.
The National Poultry Congress 2004 adopted various recommendations at the conclusion of the moot. Professor Dr Manzoor Ahmed, Vice-Chancellor, University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Lahore, presented the recommendations adopted at the two-day congress.
Through these recommendations, the government has been asked to provide 10-year income tax exemption to all poultry set-ups by waiving off the condition of formation of limited companies.
It has also been demanded of the government that electricity tariff for the poultry farms/ hatcheries must be the same as is applicable to other industrial units. It has also been recommended that special grants and interest free loans must be given to small commercial poultry farmer. Incentives in the shape of allotment of state land and provision of interest free loans should be given to qualified veterinarians for establishment of disease diagnostic laboratories. Import duties upon the import of feed additive, pharmaceutical products and equipment must be withdrawn.
It has been further demanded that 20 percent rebate be offered upon the export of day-old chicks, eggs and chicken meat.
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