The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Wednesday lauded the move of Prime Minister Imran Khan to help poor combat poverty through poultry business.
PM’s poultry-based poverty alleviation move should be supported as this experience has remained successful in many underdeveloped countries, said FPCCI Acting President Karim Aziz Malik.
Talking to a delegation of Gujrat Chamber of Commerce led by its President Amir Nauman, he said that poultry for the poor is a project that should be supported.
Karim Aziz Malik said that economic development is not possible in absence of agricultural development for which provision of water, cheap energy, loans, linkages with retailers and exporters, quality seed and pesticides, reducing the role of middlemen and insurance cover is imperative.
The farming community is facing many issues due to the apathy of the government while they seldom get the reward of their labour, he said, adding that the share of agriculture in GDP has slipped to 18 percent.
The sector is providing jobs to million, supplying raw material to industry and catering for 75 percent of exports but it is not promoted. Development of this sector will boost the overall economy and standard of living of people while it will help Pakistan during the ongoing recession.
The business leader noted that local planters are wasting tens of billions of liters of water while the country loses water worth billions to want of water storage facilities.
The livestock sector is employing four million people but it is not developing at the required pace while Pakistan’s share in the international halal market is below potential despite the availability of best quality beef and mutton.
At the occasion, FPCCI Chairman Coordination Malik Sohail said that many friendly countries have revolutionized agriculture and their experience can benefit Pakistan.
Ilyas Aziz, Sohail Sultan, Chaudhry Farooq, Tariq Bilal and other from Gujrat Chamber were also present at the occasion.