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WTO agreements pushing farmers into crisis
MULTAN (August 23 2002) : The speakers at a seminar on 'safe and efficient use of pesticides', organised by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (Smeda) here on Thursday, said the complicated World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreements has pushed the illiterate peasants into crises for lack of information and awareness about agreements that needs to be explained clearly to all for standard production according to world requirements.
Syed Naeem Bukhari, an executive of the Noor Pakistan called upon the farmers to raise agriculture production of world standard, and promote healthy and environment-friendly output.
Bukhari said the WTO made agriculture agreement to streamline crop output against substandard food, adding the agreements are much complicated because farmers have no knowledge about free trade and crop diversification.
He feared that international multinational companies would have to get control over country's natural resources through WTO agreements, saying that Australian company has purchased the intellectual property right of Basmati Rice and the champions of bio-technology can demand its share in the trade of natural resources
Multan District Naib-Nazim Malik Amir Dogar assured Smeda officials of providing office space at the Multan district council building.
He asked the farmers to help the government to create polluted-free environment.
Professor Dr Mohammad Ishfaq Khan of the Faisalabad Agriculture University said the University has discovered most modern techniques for controlling cotton pests with the help of white pests.
Smeda manager Alamgir Chaudhry said the seminar was the part three-day training programme that had been held in Bahawalpur and Vehari to provide information to farmers about safe use of pesticides.
Punjab Agriculture Mechanisation Research Institute Director Engineer Dr Rafiq-ur-Rahman said that 50 percent pesticides are wasted during spray implications due to substandard use of machinery that increase cost of production and polluted the environment and soil water.
He asked the farmer to conduct sprays through integrated pest management (IPM) and introduce pesticide spray machines.
Smeda Media and PR Manager Liaquat Ali Gohar said the seminar was organised to discuss measures for safe and efficient use of pesticides, adding that Smeda was established to develop Pakistan's small and medium enterprises (SME) through aggressive sector development programs, formulation of policy guidelines for the government and facilitate the SME by providing a variety of services.
Courtesy Business Recorder
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Pakissan.com;
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