KARACHI, MAR 13 – The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has asked the government to take measures to bring down the cost of agriculture production, prioritizing agri sector in its economic planning to ensure food security through enhanced per acre yield.

Due to lower produce of three major crops the import of wheat has jumped to $909 million, sugar $126 million and cotton $913 million during Jul-Feb 2021. The cumulative import bill of the three agriculture products in the eight months touched to the figure of almost $2 billion, lifting the ever-increasing trade deficit further, amidst alarming decline in cotton production by 34%, observed Mian Anjum Nisar.

FPCCI’s ruling party chairman said that lack of investment agriculture research, poor governance, bad planning and climate change have already resulted in shortage of wheat, sugar and cotton. As a result, the import bill of cotton has increased substantially owing to record low production.

According to the figures, till Feb 2021 cotton arrivals in Punjab are recorded at 3.5 million, while Sindh generated just 2.1 million which is 1.5 million bales less in Punjab and 38.52 percent less in Sindh respectively as compared to the last year’s production.

The country was producing 26.7 million tons of wheat on 9.2 million hectors few years back. Both yield and area of production declined to 24 million tons and area of production was reduced to 8.8 million hectors. Similarly, area of cotton production shrank to 2.5 million hectors. Cotton yield is 618 kilogram per hector while India is producing 29.4 million cotton bales. China is producing 27.5 million bales with 1,748 kg per hector yield, USA 19.5 million bales with 924 kg per hector, Brazil 12 million bales with 1,686 kg per hector. In the same way, sugarcane production was recorded at 75.5 million tons on 1.2 million hectors. Its production and area of cultivation was down to 66.8 million tons.

Mian Anjum Nisar said that country’s population has reached 222.1 million with growth rate of 1.9 and further expansion is expected in near future despite 11.5 percent increase in cultivated land along with 187 percent increase in production of wheat, 171 percent in cotton production and 162 percent increase in sugarcane production during the last 45 years.

In these circumstances, he suggested the government to reduce cost of production through direct support to farmers in purchase of machinery, fertilisers, pesticides and other inputs, while infrastructure should also be developed to ensure farm-to-market access. The government should formulate sustainable agriculture policy to ensure food security in the country, he added.

He said that due to the alarming decline in the cotton production seven million bales of worth $4 billion will be imported. There is a pressure on the economy. He also said that cotton production is lowest in 30 years. “The government should take practical steps for increasing the production of cotton in the country. It looked that government is not serious in increasing the production of the country.” After the 18th amendment agriculture is a provincial subject but unfortunately it looked that both the provincial governments of Sindh and Punjab are not serious in increasing the production as they had not taken any positive steps in this regard so far, he added.

Pakistan’s food security is dependent on production of essential crops that are providing basic food and input for industrial production, Anjum Nisar added. However, the performance of agriculture sector presently does not guarantee self-sufficiency.

FPCCI’s ruling group chief said that negligence of agriculture could lead the country towards severe food security while shortage of essential food items would increase inflation. “Seed is the basic input for agriculture sector and has an imperative role in enhancing agriculture productivity. The world has now focused on the use of certified seed for enhancing agriculture productivity owing to its better profitability coupled with the application of internationally acceptable quality parameters,” he pointed out.

He said that technology and farm mechanization can accelerate the growth of agriculture sector. Since all the economic indicators are moving in positive direction the government should now divert its full attention to share the benefits of this positive movement in economic spheres with the public, he added.

ISLAMABAD, MAR 13 (DNA) – The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) in collaboration with the Media Sniffers International (Pvt.) Ltd., and Eleven Production has organized a three days food and music festival titled “Islamabad Taste” at Jinnah Convention Centre, Islamabad. The festival was formally inaugurated by Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, President ICCI and the event has been organized by following SOPs for coronavirus.

In this signature food & music festival, 60 plus food stalls have been set up to provide different varieties of food tastes to the visitors. Various government officials and other dignitaries would visit the festival while celebrities and singers including Abrar Ul Haq, Bilal Saeed, Mustafa Zahid & Amanat Ali etc. would show musical performance in the event. Sufi night Saien Zahoor, Tahseen Sakeena & Ghulam Abbas will also be performing in the event.

Speaking at the occasion, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that the festivals were an important source of generating business and economic activities and providing a festive environment to the visitors. He said that the whole nation had to pass through a difficult time due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and this festival was organized to boost economic activity besides providing a platform to the people to come out of a tense environment and enjoy some happy moments at the festival.

Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan said that Pakistan has great potential to promote tourism and such events would contribute positively towards boosting multi-dimensional tourism, promoting soft image of Pakistan besides community building and socializing as people from all walks of life would visit the event.

ICCI President said that Covid-19 cases were again on the rise due to which the organizers have taken all precautionary measures for the health safety of visitors. However, he said that with the improvement in the coronavirus situation, ICCI would organize more events in the federal capital to generate business and economic activities so that businesses could recover some losses which they have suffered due to lockdowns and restrictions triggered by Covid-19 pandemic.

He thanked the Media Sniffers International (Pvt.) Ltd and Eleven Production for collaborating with ICCI to organize this important event and hoped that they would also organize such events in cooperation with ICCI in future as well.=DNA

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ISLAMABAD, MAR 13 (DNA) – “Today’s warfare successful accomplishment depends on effective vision and fusion”, said the Air Chief while addressing the graduation ceremony of No 54 Combat Commanders’ Course held at Airpower Centre of Excellence (ACE), today. Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force was the Chief Guest on the occasion.

Speaking at the occasion, the Air Chief said, “The lessons of Operation Swift Retort are a manifestation of our operational training in realistic scenarios.

You have to be cognizant and be aware of our adversaries, what they are inducting.” He further expressed his satisfaction that ACE in general and Combat Commanders’ School in particular are taking strides in this very direction to train future combat leadership.

The Air Chief also awarded certificates and trophies to the graduating officers who underwent a strenuous and professionally demanding course. The Chief of the Air Staff Trophy for overall best performance amongst combat pilots was awarded to Wing Commander Waheed Zafar, while Air Officer Commanding Air Defence Trophy for overall best performance amongst combat controllers was awarded to Squadron Leader Ali Ahmed. The ceremony was attended by Principal Staff Officers and field commanders of Pakistan Air Force.=DNA

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ISLAMABAD, MAR 12 – Members of the opposition on Friday blasted the result of the Senate chairman election which saw the ruling PTI-backed Sadiq Sanjrani defeat PPP’s Yousuf Raza Gilani — the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s joint candidate — and vowed to challenge the result in the courts.

PPP leaders Raja Pervez Ashraf and Qamar Zaman Kaira along with senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal addressed a press conference in Islamabad as they criticised the Senate chairman election during which seven votes cast in favour of Gilani were rejected.

Ashraf alleged that the “unconstitutional and unlawful” manner in which Gilani’s majority was defeated and the decision was given against him was “worthy of condemnation”. He alleged that those who had talked about the “sanctity and importance” of the vote had instead planted cameras to affect the polling process — a reference to the “spy cameras” allegedly found near the polling booth in the Senate earlier in the day.

“I think that when we go to the courts and they analyse the ballot papers […] Yousuf Raza Gilani will be successful,” he added.

Iqbal, meanwhile, also said the opposition would take the matter to the courts “and we expect from the court that it will correct this attack on the Consitution, the law and the vote”.

Both leaders sharply criticised the process through which Gilani’s seven votes were rejected and Ashraf claimed that the PDM had actually won, while the “government candidate has badly failed”. He questioned why Sanjrani had occupied the seat despite being in the minority.

“I understand that if he was a politician, a giver of democracy to the country and a lover of democracy then he would’ve himself rejected that I don’t have more votes [and] I don’t have the majority so I am not qualified to be sitting on this chair,” he said.

He added that the use of such tactics by the government was a sign that “its days are numbered”. “A great joke has been had with democracy. We and the PDM reject this election,” said Ashraf.

Iqbal said the seven rejected votes stood valid according to a decision of the Supreme Court (SC) he quoted.

“The question of the validity or otherwise of the ballot papers can only be determined by ascertaining the intention of the voters and in that respect, the manner of affixing the stamp is material.

“If the mark or stamp is affixed upon the name of the candidate instead of their symbol, there cannot be any hesitation to maintain that the voter had in fact shown his consent to cast vote in [the candidate’s] favour.”

He maintained that other decisions of the SC also held that the intent of the voter needed to be considered, saying there were “dozens of decisions of the SC, the high court and ECP (Election Commission of Pakistan) that [such a] vote is valid”.

“It is as clear as the rising of the sun that this rigging was done by forcefully invalidating seven votes to turn the defeat of the government into victory,” the PML-N leader alleged.

“PDM candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani won with 49 votes and government candidate Sadiq Sanjrani lost with 48 votes but the victory of the losing candidate was declared by forcibly rejecting seven votes of Yousuf Raza Gilani.”

PPP leader and Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani, meanwhile, citing a banner stating the instructions for casting vote in the Senate hall, said that according to it the stamp was to be placed inside the box containing the favoured candidate’s name.

He also claimed that the senate secretary had told him and PPP leaders Farooq Naek and Sherry Rehman “that the name can also be stamped”.

‘Political burial’

The ranks of the government, meanwhile, were abuzz with celebration in the wake of Sanjrani’s victory.

Speaking to media just after Sanjrani was declared the winner, Minister for Information Shibli Faraz said his victory showed that the time had come for the PDM’s “political burial”.

“I want to congratulate the people of Pakistan because the dark forces have been defeated,” he said.

Senator Faisal Javed added that not only the people of Pakistan, but “their own people rejected them”. He said Sanjran’s win was a win for all of Balochistan.

ANKARA, MAR 12 – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday unveiled a long-promised economic reform package that he hopes will boost the confidence of skittish foreign investors and temper inflation while boosting trade.

It included tax breaks for small business owners and a pledge to improve efficiency that could help export-driven growth.

“The package aims to grow the Turkish economy on the basis of investment, production, jobs, and exports,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told the Economic Reforms Introductory Meeting at the Halic Congress Center in Istanbul.

Turkey will raise its potential growth through boosting production efficiency thanks to this reform package, Erdoğan noted.

“We aim for a domestic and national economy which break export records with fewer imported input and more value-added production,” the president said.

He identified the fight against persistent inflation as “one of the main objectives” with the goal of quickly “bringing it down to single digits“.

Turkey weathered the 2009 global economic crisis and post-2013 crises in both politics and the economy to keep its 2023 targets within reach, Erdoğan stressed.

“We will achieve our goals by working day and night to make Turkey one of the world’s top 10 economies,” he said.

Saying that macroeconomic and structural policies form the backbone of Turkey’s new economic reforms, Erdoğan said Turkey is focusing on public finance, inflation, the financial sector, current account deficit, and employment as part of macroeconomic stability.

Encouraging investments, easing domestic trade, competition policies, market surveillance and control are in the reform package as part of structural policies, he noted.

STRONGER PUBLIC FINANCE

Turkey’s first target is setting stronger public finance structure to guard against risks, with fiscal discipline the top priority, the president underlined.

The share of foreign exchange in the country’s total debt stock will be cut to reduce its sensitivity to external shocks, Erdoğan said.

He highlighted that savings in public administration will be expanded such as limiting vehicle rentals and hospitality costs, adding:

“In addition to the central government, we aim to create a thrifty perspective in local administrations as well.”

Noting that the government knows of the difficulties small business owners have been struggling with during the pandemic, Erdoğan said the reform package also includes a tax exemption for low-income tradesmen.

“We will be exempting approximately 850,000 tradespeople who are subject to small business taxation rules, such as hairdressers, plumbers, haberdasheries, carpenters, lathe makers, tea shop operators, tailors, and repairmen, from income tax, and we will remove their tax filing obligations,” he said.

EASING TAXES, PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

A digital tax office will be established which will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week to enable the public to carry out their transactions in the digital environment without personally visiting a tax office.

“We have also included the tax problems faced by international investors within the reforms,” he noted, adding that the country is revising double taxation avoidance agreements to prevent possible problems that may arise.

As the country has praised public-private partnership projects, exemplified by city hospitals, Erdoğan said a public-private sectors cooperation law will be enacted.

“This will enable us to ensure that investors deal with a single law, to strengthen the legal infrastructure of projects, to introduce priorities among sectors and projects, and to make processes more foreseeable,” he said.

Stressing that one of the priority agenda items will be the fight against inflation, Erdoğan said Turkey aims to bring inflation down to single digits.

An early warning system will be established that will ensure the flow of data in order for the Food Committee to form policy recommendations and ensure that the market operates effectively.

In order to increase foreseeability in agricultural production and prevent price fluctuations, contractual agricultural mechanisms are being developed, he stressed.

Turkey is preparing uniform legislation that will accelerate the development of the participation financing sector, he said, adding: “A Central Advisory Board for the sector will be set up while the participation financing sector will be gathered under a single roof.”

A participation financing arbitration mechanism at international standards will be established, he underlined.