Chairman Agriforum Pakistan Ibrahim
Mughal has clamed that the US agrichemical Company Monsanto has planning to get
its control over Pakistan’s agriculture for setting up its monopoly.
While talking to media on Friday Ibrahim Mughal said that for the free economy it was necessary that Monsanto should not be allowed in Pakistan.
He said that Monsanto was also working in neighboring India but it has brought no improvement in their agriculture sector then how it can increase our country’s cotton production. He explain that production increase in India has not been usage of BT cotton but other factors like increase in irrigated areas and reforms in agriculture sector have contributed to enhance production. He added that use of BT cotton varieties will not cause increase in production.
Sources said that some high level bureaucrats in Punjab Province were meanvouring for giving US agrichemical Company exclusive right of marketing BT cotton but Punjab government has so far rejected this the plan of US Company which were demand to pay penalty if any other variety is cultivated.
“Punjab farming sector would be completely dependent on multinational US Company Monsanto if its demands were met,” said the sources.
According to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research currently 770 seed companies are operating in Pakistan providing around 25 to30 per cent seeds to the farmers. The total requirement of cotton seeds is 40,000 metric tons and farmers provide 75 to 80 per cent seeds to their fellow farmers.
According to the Cotton commissioner Ministry of Textile Industry Dr Khalid Abdullah BT cotton causes less usage of pesticides and a number of pesticide sprays in Pakistan and even India have not bee reduced after sowing BT cotton varieties,” cotton commissioner Ministry of Textile Industry Dr Khalid Abdullah said.
It is relevant to mention here that The ministry of Food and Agriculture and livestock had signed a Letter of Intent with Monsanto On May 13, 2008 to expand cotton production by using its ‘Bollgard’ variety whereas signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)for introducing ‘Bollgard-II’ technology On April 10, 2010.
While talking to media on Friday Ibrahim Mughal said that for the free economy it was necessary that Monsanto should not be allowed in Pakistan.
He said that Monsanto was also working in neighboring India but it has brought no improvement in their agriculture sector then how it can increase our country’s cotton production. He explain that production increase in India has not been usage of BT cotton but other factors like increase in irrigated areas and reforms in agriculture sector have contributed to enhance production. He added that use of BT cotton varieties will not cause increase in production.
Sources said that some high level bureaucrats in Punjab Province were meanvouring for giving US agrichemical Company exclusive right of marketing BT cotton but Punjab government has so far rejected this the plan of US Company which were demand to pay penalty if any other variety is cultivated.
“Punjab farming sector would be completely dependent on multinational US Company Monsanto if its demands were met,” said the sources.
According to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research currently 770 seed companies are operating in Pakistan providing around 25 to30 per cent seeds to the farmers. The total requirement of cotton seeds is 40,000 metric tons and farmers provide 75 to 80 per cent seeds to their fellow farmers.
According to the Cotton commissioner Ministry of Textile Industry Dr Khalid Abdullah BT cotton causes less usage of pesticides and a number of pesticide sprays in Pakistan and even India have not bee reduced after sowing BT cotton varieties,” cotton commissioner Ministry of Textile Industry Dr Khalid Abdullah said.
It is relevant to mention here that The ministry of Food and Agriculture and livestock had signed a Letter of Intent with Monsanto On May 13, 2008 to expand cotton production by using its ‘Bollgard’ variety whereas signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)for introducing ‘Bollgard-II’ technology On April 10, 2010.
Original Article Here
No comments:
Post a Comment