Boosting economy: Technology has helped increase exports

Country’s mangoes exports were declining due to severe problems of fruit-fly disease, says minister

ISLAMABAD: The dream of boosting fruit and vegetable exports has materialised due to the introduction of new technologies by agriculture scientists, said Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Bosan. While addressing the ‘Fruit and Vegetable Promotion Conference,’ he said the country’s mangoes exports were declining due to severe problems of fruit-fly disease. It was resulting in rejection of several consignments and eventually inflicting huge financial losses. However, scientists at the Department of Plant and Pakistan Agricultural Research Council in collaboration with All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association managed to control the disease successfully by hot water treatment technology. He said that due to these efforts, the country has now become able to export mangoes to markets in the US, European Union, Japan and other countries. He said agriculture was directly linked to the overall economy of the country, and if we develop agriculture on sustainable grounds, it would definitely uplift economic growth.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2015.

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