Senate body has cleared Seed Amendment Bill: Bosan

ISLAMABAD:

Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan said on Thursday that the Seed Amendment Bill 2014 would shortly be tabled in Senate for passage.

Addressing a press conference here, he said that Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research has already approved the bill after its passage by the National Assembly last year.

The minister reaffirmed the commitment that Plant Breeders Right Bill would also be passed soon which would allow the private sector for investment in seed and plant production to enhance agricultural output in the country. He also apprised media about his recent official visit of Rome where he had attended 39th Session of the Conference of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The FAO had also assured its collaboration with Pakistan in mitigating the environmental challenges for overcoming the climate changes which was harming the agri-production, he added.

He said that he had also met with the Vice President of International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) adding that IFAD had approved $ 120 million project for the development of agriculture sector of Gilgit Baltistan. He said that the funds would be utilized for the construction of roads, fruit and vegetable processing and development of agriculture land and water resource improvement.  The IFAD has also assured its assistance in the agri-sector development of Balochistan besides extending its Foot and Mouth Disease Control Programme which would be expired on June 15, 2015.

In response to Opposition Leader Syed Khurshid Shah, he said that after 18th Amendment of the Constitution, agriculture was a provincial subject. Before the Amendment, he said that federal government was allocating a huge amount for the development of the agri-sectors of all provinces adding that now the provinces were given the right to take measures for the development of their respective agriculture sector. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2015.