STAFF REPORT IBD: Agriculture experts at a workshop here stressed the need for adopting Sanitary and Phytosaniary (PSP) controls to produce quality and hygienic food products that would not only guarantee protection of human health but would also help enhance agro-based exports in the country.
The experts were speaking at a recently held consultative workshop on food safety, organized by National Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (NAPHIS) and UNDO under EU Funded Trade Related Technical Assistance Programme-II (TRTA)-II.
A draft bill National Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health Regulatory Authority Bill, to establish an integrated legal framework for Sanitary and Phytosanitary (PSP) controls, was also put before the experts on the occasion to seek their opinions before its finalization.
The participants were informed that the promotion of agriculture sector is the priority of the government.
Speaking on the occasion, Officer In-Charge, TRTA-II UNIDO said that adoption of SPS measures would help enhance the exports of the country as has been proved by the exports of rice, fish and kinnows where Pakistan adopted world standards.
“We need to produce what is acceptable and for this we have to comply with the international standards,” remarked DGl NAPHIS, Malik Zahoor Ahmad.