Supply Chain Management Project is supporting quality agriculture:Ahmad Ali

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Malik Ahmed Ali has said that, under Supply Chain Management Project, as many as 39 clusters have been formulated throughout the province for quality agriculture and livestock products meeting international standard.

He expressed these views while presiding over 13th session of steering committee of Supply Chain project at the Committee Room of Agriculture Department, here today. The meeting has attended by Secretary Agriculture, Muhammad Mushtaq, Additional Secretary Amir Khatak, Assistant Chief Planning and Development Muhammad Baqar Mufti, Director Agriculture Information Muhammad Rafiq Akhtar, Chief Coordinator Supply Chain Management Kashif Hameed, and representatives of Kisan Board Pakistan, PEMCO, Livestock and Finance departments.

The meeting was informed that under this project for the purpose of Global Gap certification besides eight applicants from the province for rice, ten of potatoes, five of tomatoes and watermelon, two of mangoes and three of mutton and beef, the steering committee has also given final approval to the selection of representatives in other categories after detailed interview. Under the project, for acquisition of International Featured Standard (IFS-Food) and International Featured Standard Broker Certification (IFS-Broker), Punjab government is providing technical assistance so that capacity of local farmers and cattle breeders can be increased after acquisition of quality certificate of international standard in addition to earning foreign exchange, by selling Pakistani agriculture and livestock products in foreign market.

Talking on the occasion, Provincial Minister Malik Ahmed Ali said that such farmers are being brought forward, after transparent scrutiny, who meet the criteria of merit, so that the objectives of the projects can be achieved. He further said that usefulness of the project can be realized from the fact that farmers and growers belonging to the far-flung and less- developed areas of the province are also participating in it. He said a great number of farmers are brought into the network so that the benefit of training and international business relations could reach the ordinary farmers.