Changing international scenario after enactment of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) demands surety of the high quality in agriculture and agri products, said Punjab Provincial Minister for Agricultural Marketing here on Friday. He was addressing the concluding session of three-day international workshop on "Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures in the wake of trade liberalisation: Challenges to agriculture in developing countries."
The workshop was organised by University of Arid Agriculture Rawalpindi (UAAR) with the financial assistance of Pakistan Academy of Sciences, and attended by research scholars from Sri Lanka, India, Iran, UK and various Universities of Pakistan.
Addressing the gathering of scientists and research scholar, Punjab Minister for Agricultural Marketing Rana Qasim said the trade liberalisation under the WTO regime on one hand provided lot of opportunities to every country, while on the other hand it created problems for developing and under-developed countries.
He said it was clear that globalisation with the advantages of increasing trade, prosperity and choice would have to create new problems and arising uncertainties as well.
The Minister said every nation gave special preference to food security and self-sufficiency and for such a matter they ensured provision of healthy and sufficient supply of food, supplied within and outside the country. "They employ certain minimum levels of the quality, health and safety standards. These standards are particularly in agricultural, food and health products and many fall under the category of the SPS and the SPS measures are becoming of permanent importance", he added.
He said the SPS measures were of two pronged, on one side they ensured native customers were being supplied safe food stuff, while on the other it guaranteed the strict health and safety regulations were not being used as excuse for protecting domestic products.
Pakistan, he said, was signatory to the WTO regime and it was legal binding to agreement on the application of the SPS measures.
Stressing the need of complete awareness of the SPS measures, Rana Qasim said the farmers and even common people were not aware of the term SPS measures. "We have to compete in the international market and it is must for people to know about this important issue", he added.
UAAR Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Mehmood said the power influence of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and now the WTO had extended over global trade, as it was imperative for the developing countries to join the club.
He said in the international trade arena cross border barriers had always been a matter of great concern for the economic growth and development, and that situation would bear new facets with the wake of trade liberalisation. "For a country like Pakistan whose major export earnings come from agriculture and agro-based industry, the SPS would be a minefield", he added.
Later, the Provincial minister distributed certificates among the participants of the workshop.