Agriculture ministers from South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc) countries will for the first time in the history meet here on December 14 to explore new avenues for enhancing inter and intra-regional trade of agri products.
The main thrust in the daylong brainstorming will be on the identifications of factors responsible for the failure in implementing the proposed South Asian Free Trade Agreement (Safta). Experts believe that the removal of trade barriers among the Saarc member countries can help agriculture flourish in the region. Pakistan and India in this case will be the major beneficiaries.
Among other issues likely to come under discussion are measures to increase productivity, easy access to each other's markets and enhance co-operation in the field of agri technologies. An implication of World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the agriculture sector of the region is another issue, to which agriculture ministers will ponder upon.
Federal Food Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan will chair the meeting and agriculture experts from across the country are likely to share their experiences with the participants. The ministers from the member countries have already landed in the town and will start initial deliberations ahead of the formal meeting from Tuesday.
Federal Food Secretary Ismail Qureshi is expected to inaugurate the preliminary session that will set a concrete agenda for the formal round scheduled for December 14. Officials say the meeting is expected to come out with a set of recommendations members countries can adopt to make sure the implementation of the proposed free trade agreement. Pakistan, they added, will raise the matter of Indian register Super Basmati as its indigenous product under the Geographical Indication (GI).
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