Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sikandar Hayat Bosan has said that there is no threat from World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime to textile industries as Pakistan has great potential to compete in textile market. He expressed these views while talking to newsmen here at Tarnab Farm during his visit on Monday.
The minister said: "Pakistan produces cheap and quality raw material required to textile industry as a result of which the country can compete in textile markets without facing any problem."
Appreciating the performance of Pakistan Oil & Seed Development Board (POSDB) Peshawar, he said that the board has shown an excellent results, however, there can be further improvement in its working. "We have to pass on knowledge and technology to the farmers to make agriculture profitable because san profit there would be no investment in agro-based industry," he observed.
Referring to cotton crop production in the country, Bosan said, "by the grace of Allah cotton production has exceeded its target in the history of Pakistan this year." About wheat crop the minister said, "due to timely rains we hope to achieve the set target of wheat production."
He said: "There is great demand of olive in the country and we are mobilising all resources to turn the wild olive trees to productive oil producing trees through budding and grafting as well as to raise olive gardens in the country."
Earlier, the minister was given a detailed briefing on the performance of Pakistan Oil and Seed Development Board by project director Ghulam Idrees at the Tarnab Farm. The minister also visited olive plantation sites nurseries at Tarnab.
WHEAT TRANSPORTATION: Meanwhile, talking to industrialists in Sarhad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) office, Sikandar Hayat Bosan said that the federal government has a clear policy on the inter-provincial transportation of wheat.
He said that in future the government would not tolerate such kind of ban on the food commodity.
He said that the federal government has taken a firm stand on the matter and now no such ban is imposed in any part of the country.