Policies needed to save Pakistan's agriculture sector

Former PARC official stresses maximising investment to strengthen R&D

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s international trade is being affected due to Covid-19 restrictions and the trade of fruits and vegetables will be negatively affected if proper policies are not formulated, said MNS-University of Agriculture, Multan Vice-Chancellor Dr Asif Ali.

Addressing an online conference on ‘Impacts of Covid-19 on Agricultural Sector in Pakistan’, experts discussed the current situation of the agriculture sector and the harmful impact of Covid-19 lockdown on the agri-business. The session was organised by the Center for Global and Strategic Studies (CGSS)

Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) former chairman Dr Yusuf Zafar said that the coronavirus pandemic is first and foremost a “health crisis”. However, it is also one of a major social and economic predicament. Zafar stressed the need to maximise public sector investment to strengthen the research and development sector in the country.

Punjab former minister for livestock and dairy development Mumtaz Mohammad Khan Manais stressed the need for advanced technology in the agriculture sector to increase productivity of the agriculture industry in Pakistan. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2020.

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