Zachray Harkenrider, Consul General of the US Consulate Lahore has said that the USAID is making serious efforts to alleviate rural poverty by helping Pakistan to reinvigorate its agriculture on modern scientific lines. He expressed these views while talking to a delegation of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) that met him under the leadership of its President Chaudhry Muhammad Nawaz. The delegation comprised of Senior Vice President Syed Zia Alamdar Hussain, Engineer Suhail Bin Rashid and Sh. Abdul Qayyum.
Mr Harkenrider said that sustained agriculture growth was imperative for a country such as Pakistan to resolve its diverse socio-economic problems. He told that the USAID Program had provided energy efficient pumps at subsidised rates to the farmers. "It not only helped energy-starved Pakistan to save 400MW of electricity but also trimmed their cost of production," he said.
The US Consul General further told the delegation that the USAID was organising conferences on the importance of solar energy and possibilities to launch joint-ventures in agriculture Sector. "These Conferences will also help Pakistan to stabilise its economy on sustained basics," he said.
Earlier Chaudhry Muhammad Nawaz, President FCCI, expressed satisfaction over the bilateral economic co-operation between the two countries and said that both countries must explore new avenues of co-operation to give a quantum jump to the mutual trades. He said that the US should also give access to Pakistani exports to its market. "It is imperative to help Pakistan to meet huge financial losses suffered due to war against terrors", he urged.
Syed Zia Alamdar Hussain, Senior Vice President, FCCI termed rural poverty as number one problem for Pakistan. He also condemned the incident of Orlando. He said that energy-efficient pump helped Pakistan to save 400 MW of electricity and now on the same pattern, the USAID should provide Solar Tube Wells to the farmers which would facilitate Pakistan to save electricity between 1000 MW and 10,000 MW in addition to meeting their water needs.
"Through this arrangement, farmers would not only get electricity but also save their electricity bill," he said adding that power pilferage in Faisalabad was mainly attributed to agriculture tube wells, which could also be checked by providing Solar Tube Wells at reduced market rates. Mr Alamdar also underlined the US role in enhancing agriculture production but he added that now Pakistani production had stagnated and that needed high yielding and disease-resistant crops to increase farm production and in this connection US could provide new varieties of seeds. Engineer Suhail Bin Rashid discussed visa-related issues coupled with joint exhibition and meetings between Pakistan and US entrepreneurs.