September 13, 2003	Saturday	Rajab 15, 1424

LAHORE, Sept 12: Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday indicated that anti-dumping duty might be imposed on cheap imports of Chinese poultry products in order to protect the local poultry farmers.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day National Poultry Congress here, he admitted that China had been dumping poultry products in Pakistan and it made a “fit case” to impose anti-dumping duty for protecting the local industry. He said China had been sending its poultry products to Pakistan since it lost its markets due to the Sars scare.

However, he warned the poultry farmers to keep from increasing their prices after imposition of anti-dumping duty. “Don’t use it as an opportunity to raise your prices,” he said.

The minister urged the poultry farmers to go into exports. For this, he said, “you got to improve the product quality.” Besides, he said, concerted efforts should be made to market local poultry products in the potential markets in the Middle East.

He advised them to adopt new techniques to improve the quality of their products and increase productivity. “If you want to stay in the competition, you have to increase productivity as the days of subsidies are gone.”

Mr Shaukat also criticized developed countries that allowed huge subsidies to their respective agriculture sectors, saying: “We want a level-playing field in agriculture as well as other areas. Subsidy must go. The abolition of subsidies will help states like Pakistan compete in the world market and allow them to export and expand.” However, he said, the government would provide relief to the domestic industry wherever it was possible.

He said the agriculture sector was the backbone of the economy and contributed about 26 per cent of GDP. He said the agriculture sector would develop due to direct and indirect public investment in it and policy measures taken by the government.

APP adds: Mr Shaukat Aziz said the government had imposed a 25-per cent duty on the import of poultry meat and related products to protect the domestic poultry sector.

The Poultry Association, being the victim of imports, could go for an anti-dumping case if there was any evidence of under-pricing, he observed.

The minister said that Pakistan’s business community had enough acumen to compete with other countries, including India, in the international market.

Referring to the increase in agricultural loans over the last couple of years, Mr Shaukat hoped that the volume of agricultural credit by commercial banks would surpass that by Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in the next 2-3 years.

The minister assured that the problems related to the import of soyabean meal and the customs duty issue would be resolved.

ILLEGAL FOREX FIRMS: The finance minister said the State Bank and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan were taking action against the illegal forex and brokerage business according to law. “The things in this regard (action against forex companies) are under the control,” he told newsmen at the inaugural ceremony of the poultry congress here.

On the recent talks between traders organizations and the CBR, he said that all the reservations of the business community regarding the income tax returns had been addressed.