Pakistan had signed three agreements with World Trade Organisation (WTO) for enhancing co-operation in trade of food, agriculture and livestock commodities.
The agreements, signed in 1994, included Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPM) and Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (Trips).
According to official source here on Monday, these agreements have direct relationship with our agriculture and can pose severe threats and challenges in the changing scenario of globalisation with respect to food security and food sovereignty.
Keeping in view the complexity of the regime, there is a dire need to equip professionals and all other stakeholder with the incentives and demerits under the WTO set-up.
This need could be met through creating awareness among the target groups and prepare them to face the challenges and avail the opportunities offered by the WTO.
In this direction, Social Sciences Division of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (Parc) has initiated a series of seminars and lectures throughout the country.
In continuation of the campaign, Technology Transfer Institute, Tandojam is organising three awareness seminars at Shikarpur, Larkana and Jacobabad districts on March 24, 25, and 26, 2004 respectively. Local NGOs viz, SRSO and SABIST are also co-ordinating in organising the seminars.
Being the first seminar on the important topic of WTO in the area, stakeholders, including professionals, local government representatives, growers, researchers, extension workers and civil society representatives are having lot of enthusiasm and inspiration for the seminar.