LARKANA, July 1: The Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers and Traders Association (SBRMTA) has demanded that the government should defer the implementation of the World Trade Organization agreement to save the country’s agriculture sector.

Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, SBRMTA president Gada Hussain Mahisar said without modernizing industries and mills connected with agriculture, the WTO set standards of export could not be met. He said this would have a negative impact on export of the country.

He said some countries had signed the WTO agreement but had sought time to upgrade their mills and industries to meet the required standards. But, he said, Pakistan signed the agreement without realizing the situation.

He regretted that in line with IMF policies, subsidy on agriculture in the country had been stopped and purchasing agriculture produce on support prices had been discontinued which had badly affected this sector.

Mr Mahisar called upon the government to review its decision regarding the WTO agreement as without trained workers and upgraded mills and industries, the country could not meet the set standards. He said Sindh’s agriculture had suffered a great loss due to shortage of water.