PM sees potential to increase food exports to Gulf states

Pakistan could attract an investment of $40 billion to $50bn in the years ahead and could grow its food exports to Gulf states within two years, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday. Addressing a seminar on agriculture and food security, he termed agriculture the backbone of the country, saying that farmers worked hard to provide food to millions of people. He said that the Green Pakistan Initiative would eventually bring a second agricultural revolution, creating four million jobs in the country. “It is the demand of our national security that the country’s food security and economic security should be strengthened,” he said. He said the farmers had a right to avail incentives for the agriculture sector and it was the responsibility of the government to provide them all possible assistance for overall development and progress. The prime minister said growth in the agriculture sector would bring Pakistan at a par with developed countries. He said hard work was imperative to ensure the country’s progress, adding that the Green Revolution in the 1960s was due to the introduction of new varieties of seeds, the building of dams and canals, and modern agriculture practices.