Agriculture sector: trilateral working group identifies areas for joint ventures

The US-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Working Group (TWG) on "Water Management and Watershed Rehabilitation" in its recommendations has identified a number of areas for joint ventures in agriculture sector. The meeting of the TWG was held here on Thursday with Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Nazar Muhammad Gondal in the chair.
The Presidents of Pakistan, USA, and Afghanistan (Asif Ali Zardari, Barrack Obama, and Hamid Karzai) decided in a meeting in May 2009 that people of both the countries would be empowered economically with special emphasis on agriculture to counter the menace of terrorism.
The secretariat of the working group is situated in Ministry of Food and Agriculture and it mainly focus on improving co-operation in agriculture sector for benefit of both the countries. The session highlighted water scarcity in the region and discussed ways and means to find workable solution.
The group had held its previous meeting in Doha, January this year while next meeting will be held in Islamabad in May 2010. The goal of each working group is to develop agriculture trade corridors to facilitate trans-border trade and strengthen food security, besides increasing co-operation in research to improve the production of fruits, nuts, livestock and other agricultural products and reduce post-harvest loss; and improve water and watershed management and irrigation methods to increase crops yield.
Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture, Nazar Muhammad Gondal expressed his gratitude for the delegates and said that they have taken keen interest in identifying areas of mutual co-operation in the field of "Water Management and Watershed Rehabilitation".
He said that the recommendations of the group would pave way for introducing water saving technologies so that water could be used in a better way for irrigation, adding that the world has realised the need of preserving and managing water resources and Pakistan would follow the suit. He said the working group would develop strategies for mutual co-operation in the management of existing water resources.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Chief Co-ordinator of the TWG, Malik Zahoor said that following the summit meeting between the Presidents of the three countries, three working groups were constituted with the aim to ensure food security in the region. These included working groups on trade corridor, food security and water management and watershed rehabilitation.
Chairman US Group on Water Management and Watershed Rehabilitation, Christian Foster gave detailed presentation identifying several areas for co-operation including capacity building and ways for efficient use of water. Chairman Pakistan Group on Water Management and Watershed Rehabilitation, Ashfaq Mehmood said that the group visited the water sites across the border and had fruitful discussions with their counterparts to enhance water storage and its judicious use.