Agri-projects to be taken up during PM’s Qatar visit

Value addition, certification of farm products to benefit farmers

ISLAMABAD:

A meeting to discuss proposals related to co-investment and joint venture projects with the Qatari government was held at the Ministry of National Food Security and Research on Friday.

The participants explored avenues to further strengthen ties between Pakistan and Qatar in the agriculture and livestock sector in the backdrop of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming visit to Qatar on August 23.

Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Tariq Bashir Cheema chaired the meeting, which was attended by Minister of State for Petroleum Division Mussadik Masood Malik and officials of the Ministry of National Food Security and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Among various proposals, it was discussed that Pakistan and Qatar could jointly form a company to co-invest in the agriculture sector. Furthermore, modern farms can be established with latest technology and techniques to improve the standards of farming.

Value addition and food processing were identified as areas through which farmers can benefit.

The participants agreed that accreditation of farmers and certification of agricultural products could help to ensure the standard and quality.

Qatar relies heavily on food imports to meet local demand. The officials present in the meeting were of the view that joint venture projects with Qatar in agriculture and livestock could help Doha achieve food security, while Pakistan could benefit from investment in the sector.

Tariq Bashir Cheema said that the food security ministry had planned to improve the agriculture sector and for that purpose, there were plans to bring farming at par with the international standards.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2022.

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