Govt committed to make country net exporter of food: Jamshed
Jamshed Iqbal Cheema said the government will set the direction right of agriculture
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Food Security Jamshed Iqbal Cheema on Wednesday said that the PTI government is committed to make Pakistan a net exporter of food.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, he said the prime minister has assured to provide all the required funds to achieve this objective.
The special assistant said Rs 62 billion have been allocated for food security in the budget, however, the amount will be enhanced to any limit on requirement.
Sharing details of Agriculture Transformation Plan, he said the programme envisages to protect growers, consumers and local industry by introducing the latest interventions for achieving sustainable agricultural development and reducing the reliance on the imported food items.
Jamshed Iqbal Cheema said the government will set the direction right of agriculture, pursuing a coherent policy in collaboration with provinces.
He said Rs 4.5 billion have been earmarked in the budget for cotton. He said Trading Corporation of Pakistan will purchase cotton to bring stability in cotton prices .Jamsheed Iqbal Cheema said the government plans to provide 80 percent local cotton to the textile industry. He said the textile industry is confident to increase exports upto $26 billion by the end of this government tenure.
Responding to a question, the Special Assistant said services of foreign scientists and researchers will be hired to transform the agriculture sector. He said Rs 10 billion have been allocated for agricultural research.
He said latest technology will also be acquired from different countries particularly China for the purpose.
To another question, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema said mobile labs are being introduced to ensure quality of milk in cities.
