HYDERABAD, April 6: Speakers at a seminar on the WTO regime have stressed the need for enhancing the capacity of growers, millers and exporters to compete in the world market. The seminar was jointly organized by the Action Aid Programme and Green Rural Development Organization at a local hotel on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Roshan Malik said the farmers of the country lacked the capacity to understand the impact of World Trade Organization and agreements relating to the agriculture sector.

He explained in detail the working of WTO and urged the media to play its due role in highlighting the challenges of the WTO regime for the benefit of stakeholders. Mr Malik said almost all the countries provided high subsidies to the agriculture sector but Pakistan did not do so.

He stressed the need for extending help to the farming community for meeting the challenges of the WTO regime. He said there was a dire need to debate the WTO issue right from grass root level to parliament and added that the research institutes should also be involved in formulating agricultural policies.

Ms Mehnaz said quality of produce would be of paramount importance in the WTO regime and added that this was a great challenge for the farming community. She pointed out Pakistan did not have the laboratories to check the standard and quality. She said these standards became obstacles and barriers for our exports. Sohail Khan, Nazeer Memon, Jam Saqi and others also spoke on the occasion.