Improving agriculture products: Punjab government implementing comprehensive project

Secretary Agriculture Punjab, Muhammad Mushtaq Ahmad said on Wednesday that the Punjab government was implementing an effective and comprehensive project to bring agricultural products on a par with the international standards. He was talking to a USAID delegation on Wednesday.
The delegation comprises Director Office of Economic Growth and Agriculture Dr William M. Peterson, Senior Development Advisor USAID Sajjad Mughal and many others. Additional Secretary (Planning) Sumera Muddassar and other officers of the agriculture department were also present.
Ahmad informed the USAID delegation that vast opportunities of investment in agriculture and livestock sectors of the province exist and USAID could help in capacity building of the growers by extending technical assistance. He said that the Punjab government had initiated a project of Rs 2 billion to get GlobalGAP and IFS certification for Pakistani agricultural and livestock products to ensure their presence in the international market. He said that at present 20 products had attained this certificate and in coming days number would increase to 250.
Ahmad said that the government had launched projects aimed at developing irrigation sector in the province at a cost of Rs 36 billion and efforts to be made to achieve the targets. He said that the government wanted to enhance the volume of export of agricultural products to $4 billion per annum during next five years.