Facilitating agri trade, value addition govt’s top priority: Minister

ISLAMABAD, Sep 18 (APP): Minister for Commerce Muhammad
Pervaiz Malik on Monday said the government was prioritizing to
facilitate the trade of dates and value addition to the sector.
Pakistan has a huge potential in Agri trade that needed to
be exploited for the modernization, technological development and value
addition in this sector, he said addressing as a chief guest in dates festival organized by Trade Development Authority (TDAP) here.
He said Pakistan was the fourth largest grower of date in the
world and value addition was must for enhancing export of the
product.
The minister said for enhancing foreign trade, the
government was committed to improve the standards according to the
international market.
Infrastructure development and value addition in date growing
areas would increase the employment opportunities and support for
poverty alleviation in Balochistan and Sindh.
“We can attract the foreign investment through value addition
in agriculture, which also increases the country’s foreign reserves,”
he said.
Pervaiz Malik said the government had planned to form strategy
for research and workplace strategy to introduce the modern
technology for enhancing the yield of date and modernize the export
system.
On the occasion, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on
Commerce and Textile, Syed Shibli Faraz said Pakistan was
a agricultural country and “We need to enhance our export in this
sector.
“We need to focus on value addition as 300 items of dates
growing in the country,” he said.
Secretary TDAP, Inamullah Khan said on the occasion that
Pakistan has exporting worth $ 106 million to the world.
“We are focussing to explore the new market to counter the
other competitor in Agro trade and enhance the country’s trade.