STAFF REPORT IBD: Speakers at a recently arranged expo stressed the need for advanced scientific research in the agriculture and livestock fields to augment countrys key export sectors and making the nation self-sufficient with regard to several edible commodities.
Agriculture-based companies, including fisheries, poultry, livestock, dairy, biotechnology deployment and agriculture farm equipment, food traceability, agriculture value-addition and horticulture took part in one of the countrys largest agricultural and livestock expositions at Expo Centre here. Foreign delegations of growers and agriculture experts also participated in the recently arranged show, besides local investors who set up their stalls of various products.
In his remarks, Federal Commerce Secretary, Zafar Mehmood, emphasised on reshaping the pivotal agriculture sector with scientific research to develop it. He called for enhancing the supply chain to outreach targeted consumers.
For better results in seed development, the government should now allot scientific research programmes to private sectors, which, until now, are being carried out on official basis on huge spending, he added.
Mehmood opined that there should be policies to boost up status of poor farmers of the country along-with the development of value-addition food sector.
He suggested that land should be efficiently organised to increase production with better water distribution system, particularly to poor farmers, liberal retail markets and greater preferences to the agriculture sector.