Government to focus on health, agriculture

Value-added farming requires new techniques, says minister

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain said on Wednesday that all efforts would be made to ensure that health and agricultural growth are the areas to focus for the future.

“The government is well cognisant of the fact and is already working on initiatives such as value addition in agriculture – the cluster development approach,” he said, while addressing an inaugural ceremony of a workshop organised by the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST).



He said the workshop on agricultural wealth and functional foods would be helpful in improving economic conditions of the country, adding that the government is committed towards holistic economic development of the nation.

He further highlighted the importance of value addition in agriculture, which according to him, faces constant productivity issues due to market pressures. “New agriculture techniques require new tools to enhance competitiveness and productivity,” he said.

“We have to chalk out a clear strategy so that our indigenous knowledge base is utilised intelligently and efficiently for the economic revival of the country as global herbal supplements and remedies market is estimated to reach $115 billion by 2020.”

Tanveer said that the recognition of herbal and potential functional foods is due to the growing adoption of preventative care in the sector – which caters to the masses – in order to improve health standards.

The minister said it is the need of the hour is to explore the sector’s maximum potential with help of research and development. Earlier in his welcome address, PCST Chairman Anwarul Hassan Gilani said that countries like China have added value to their herbal wealth and explored means to extract maximum benefit from it.

“Pakistan is a major agriculture country, and its products are being exported on low prices,” he said. “It is required that this sector must be channelised and research and development institutes on oriental medicines should be established without further delay.”

The event was attended by scientists, researchers, professors, pharmacologists, industry officials and participants from various universities. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th,  2015.

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