Pesticide industry is working day and night in the development of agriculture and its clear proof with the record production of wheat during the current season, however the pesticide industry is being tried to destroy.
These views were expressed by Chairman Pakistan Crop Protection Association (PCPA) Haji Atta-ur-Rehman, Secretary General Dr Shafiq, Malik Aamer Aziz, Salim Nasir, Mian Amjad Ali, Chaudhry Altaf Shahid and Chaudhry Asif Majeed in a joint press conference in Multan Press Club here on Thursday.
About 250 pesticide companies were working in this sector due to which thousands of people were earning their livelihood. Due to threat and harassment, the numbers of pesticide companies have fallen to a meagre 75 and these companies are also thinking to close their companies in the current circumstances.
They said that the recent example of threat and harassment is the raid on a pesticide company of May 6. It was published in the newspapers that counterfeit pesticides were confiscated from this company which brought bad name to the company and loss of worth millions just because of negative propaganda.
Actually the samples have not been tested yet and without the lab report how is it possible to claim that counterfeit pesticides are being manufactured in the company. They said that two workers have been put behind the bars without any reason and registering a FIR.
They appealed of Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to provide protection to pesticide industry and should grant them the opportunity to present their viewpoint. They said that the task of the government departments should be for the betterment of the system and not to bring bad name to the innocent of the industry.
Chairman PCPA, Haji Atta-ur-Rehman said that their field force of 5,000 employees is providing guidance to 1.5 million farmers in their fields. Agriculture is the only way that can take the country out from the crisis.
He said that with the joint efforts of government and private sector, so much wheat has yielded this time that we can export it to Afghanistan and other countries. The agriculture graduates work side by side with the staff of agriculture department due to which the record production of 27 million tonne wheat is expected.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2009

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