LAHORE: The government is taking measures to increase the production of wheat, rice and other eatables to make them affordable for the common consumer.
Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan said this while talking to business community here at Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FPCCI) Regional Office.
The federal minister said that instead of importing wheat, subsidy should be given to the farmers to reduce input costs and at the same time industry should be given full capacity gas.
Sikandar Bosan said the food security policy was being finalised and would be forwarded to all the trade bodies. Regarding cotton policy, he said that home work had been done and the policy would be approved probably in January 2014.
About pesticides business, he said that this matter would be sorted out after consultation with the federal and provincial governments.
To a question on production and export of citrus, the minister said that the government had signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Indonesia and China and this issue would be sorted out.
Earlier, PFCCI Central Vice President and Regional Chairman Azhar Saeed Butt welcomed the federal minister and apprised him about the problems being faced by the business community regarding fish farming, food security laws, rice exporters problems, representation in the Halal Board, representation of poultry industry on WFO (World Food Organisation), strict vigilance policy in the storage of wheat in PASSCO, interest-free loans to the farmers and other problems relating to the food ministry.
Former Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Shahzad Ali Malik, FPCCI Executive Committee Members- Chaudhry Mohammad Saleem, Zahid Anwar and Dr Bilal Sufi, Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Qaisra Sheikh, FPCCI’s Agriculture Regional Committee Chairman Dr Ijaz Pervaiz, Rukhsana Zafar, Nadeem Shami, former Sargodha CCI President Zahid Saeed and FPCCI Youth Committee Chairperson Anam Asif also spoke on the occasion.
