ISLAMABAD, July 22: The first ministerial meeting of ECO (Economic Cooperation Organization) on agriculture will discuss measures for promoting intra-regional agricultural trade.

According to the programme announced by the MINFAL Secretary, Shafqat Izdi Shah at a press conference here on Monday, the Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL), Khair Mohammad Junejo will inaugurate the first session on Tuesday, which would be participated only by the senior officials of the delegations from all the member countries of ECO except for Turkemenistan.

President General Pervez Musharraf will inaugurate the ministers’ meeting on July 25.

In fact, the first ECO meeting on agriculture is the outcome of President’s speech delivered at the ECO Summit held at Teheran in June 2000. It was earlier slated to take place in October last year.

Being the dominant sector of the region’s economy, MINFAL Secretary pointed out, agriculture accounts for 23 per cent of ECO region’s GDP. Due to wide range of climatic conditions, the region produces all types of crops including tropical, subtropical and temperate.

Currently, agricultural trade, comprising mainly cotton, fruits vegetables and cereals is around 15 per cent of intra-regional trade. In view of considerable opportunities, the volume of trade could be increased four-fold within the next four to five years, the Secretary asserted.

Apart from the stress in the Charter of ECO on the need of enhanced efforts at effective utilization of agricultural potential of the region, Quetta Plan of Action and Istanbul Declaration are significant landmarks.

The areas of combined action that have already been identified encompass areas like plant protection, prevention of animal diseases, food security and combating desertification. The member states have already declared their support for the setting up of ECO Plant Protection Organization for harmonization of plant quarantine.

Other initiatives include launching of training courses to minimise post-harvest losses, integrated pest management, etc.

Dr Mohammad Hanif, agricultural development commissioner stated ECO had also achieved success in institutionalization of linkages with the FAO, International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas, etc.

The most important challenge for the ECO meeting he said, was development of mechanism for proper implementation of agreed programmes.