Qureshi urges mutual trade and technology transfer with India

Date:11-18-2008

Chairman Pakistan Crop Protection Association(PCPA) , Engineer Javed Saleem Qureshi has said that the country’s production could increase incredibly through mutual trade and transfer of technology between Pakistan and India.

Qureshi said that if even we compare our agriculture standard with India, we are far behind, whereas the farmers of developing countries are taking maximum advantage from it. He expressed these views after coming back from his 5-day visit to India along a delegation of 8 members.

Qureshi said that our rulers are talking about getting 3 maunds per acre more production, whereas we have the potential to get 30 maunds extra production by adopting the latest technology of agriculture. He said that we are now getting hardly 28 maunds per acre production whereas in India and the other developing countries are taking about 50 maunds per acre production.

He said that the main hindrances in the better production includes high prices of diesel, electricity, fertiliser, seeds etc whereas in India, the farmer is getting every facility on his door step.

India is getting most of its production from barani areas, but here in Pakistan, the cultivation in barani areas is very low. Javed Qureshi said that the subsidy given by the government gives no benefit to farmers. He blamed that last year the middlemen minted about Rs 35 billion under the subsidy. “If the average production would be more then there would have been no need to give subsidy”, he added. He further added that when the farmer would get Rs 20 to 30 thousand extra per month, then he would also purchase DAP.

He appealed to the Prime Minister and Chief Minister Punjab, that they should take out the private sector from the clutches of bureaucracy for the development of agriculture. He said that Prime Minister is himself a farmer and he understands every ups and downs of agriculture.