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01:48
Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) former senior vice president Abdul Basit on Saturday stressed the need to take effective measures to ensure food security in the country. While talking to Business Recorder, Abdul Basit touched upon many areas where the government attention is direly needed but his focus was agriculture sector about which he spoke flawlessly and fearlessly. His suggestion about formation of Agriculture Development Board (ADB) was quite impressive and workable.
He said that it was a happy sign that the PM had constituted Business and Agriculture Advisory Committees to overcome the challenges being faced by the two sectors and optimism is being expressed that things would take a positive turn sooner than later. "But I would request the government that instead of reinventing the wheel through such an exercise, the government should constitute ADB on the pattern of Engineering Development Board (EDB) that is an apex body under Ministry of Industries and Production entrusted to strengthen engineering base in Pakistan," he said.
He mentioned that the EDB has seven government members and 14 private members including two top academicians having related experience and in my view, the ADB should primarily consist of 25 members including top agriculturists from all the provinces, renowned businessmen, vice chancellors of agriculture universities and secretaries of all related government departments.
The proposed ADB should be tasked to review all existing agriculture policies in the country, hold discussions with recognised related private sector bodies before giving final recommendations for implementation. Why all this should be done? He questioned. It is needed to save our agriculture sector that is facing multiple internal and external challenges, he added.
Very recently all of us saw a sudden and unprecedented hike in the prices of almost all vegetables but nobody noticed that what went wrong and what is the remedy? In my opinion, the decision to allow imports of vegetables from India was a deep rooted and well calculated conspiracy against the local farmers, he said. All this is result of our wrong planning because while allowing import of vegetables from India we ignored our farming sector.
He said that recently I was in India and surprised to know that their agriculture sector was exempt from load shedding while industrial sector and domestic users are subjected to load shedding. Indians understand well that the industry can be run on generators while a farmer cannot afford generator. So they are ensuring their food security and we have failed to do so, he maintained. The LCCI former senior vice president also spoke on education and severely criticised mushroom growth of private education institutions in the country. He said that the government educational institutions should be strengthened to deliver quality education.
22:11
August 29, 2013
Senior Joint Director, Agricultural Credit & Microfinance Department, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Mohammad Imaduddin has said that the central bank is conducting financial literacy and awareness programs at grass-root level to improve access of the farming community to finance. 
He expressed these views while inaugurating a one-day 'Farmers' Financial Literacy & Awareness programme on Agricultural Financing' in collaboration with Bank of Khyber at District Haripur on Wednesday. He said that the SBP's multi-pronged strategy to increase agricultural credit outreach includes mainstreaming of agriculture finance, removing policy and regulatory impediments, capacity building of commercial banks and information dissemination and awareness building campaigns for the farming community.
Highlighting the objectives of Farmers Financial Literacy & Awareness Program, he said that the program shows the commitment of the State Bank and the banking sector to develop the agriculture sector at grass root level. Besides, SBP Senior Joint Director Muhammad Imaduddin, BoK's EVP and Group Head Credits, Imran Samad, SBP Joint Director, Ikramullah Qadri, SBP Chief Manager Rawalpindi, Asad Shah, BOK Head Agricultural Credits, Gul Kiaz Khan, BOK Chief Manager Haripur Branch Malik Jehanzeb Khan, Head Agricultural Department University of Haripur, Dr Hakim Khan, members of social community, bankers and representatives of agricultural extension department and farming community also attended the program.
It may be pointed out that the State Bank of Pakistan in collaboration with SBP BSC & commercial/microfinance banks has launched a country-wide 'Farmers' Financial Literacy & Awareness program on Agricultural Financing' which is being conducted in the selected agriculture-intensive districts in all provinces of the country.
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21:50
"Pakistan can harness the benefits of agricultural development by putting more resources in making the agricultural credit accessible, and affordable and providing good governance in timely provision of quality inputs, taking care of backward and forward linkages and laying down a platform for innovations, and entrepreneurial activities."
This was stated by Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, while addressing a seminar on changing mindset and building capacity for innovation and commercialisation organised by Office of Research, Innovations and Commercialisation (ORIC) here at New Senate Hall. He said scientific innovation regarding increase in cropping intensity, best agronomic practices, and intervention of GMOs shorter the duration of wheat and cotton crops that enhanced the production to manifold and caused establishment of new cotton mills, ginning factories, textile mills, flour mills, and many of relevant business.
He said "California US produces a range of agricultural commodities, but we remain in a fashion to grow only five crops as the political economy of Pakistan revolves around sugar industry, flour mills, various cartels and vested interests that dictate the affairs. He urged the government for setting up new cattle and grain markets with excellent administrative control so that the rights of producers and livestock farmers could be protected." He emphasised the need for making a platform for innovation and commercialisation at national level so that innovations could pave the way for new business plans.
Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) former senior vice president Abdul Basit on Saturday stressed the need to take effective measures to ensure food security in the country. While talking to Business Recorder, Abdul Basit touched upon many areas where the government attention is direly needed but his focus was agriculture sector about which he spoke flawlessly and fearlessly. His suggestion about formation of Agriculture Development Board (ADB) was quite impressive and workable. 
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