QUETTA, Sept 19: The government must follow rich countries' strategy on providing farming subsidies enabling local farmers to compete with the developed states in agriculture products after the implementation of the WTO in December 2004.

This was stated by participants of a seminar on 'WTO regime and agriculture capacity-building' held under the auspices of the Quetta Press Club and Actionaid Pakistan, an NGO. QPC's president Rashid Baig chaired the seminar.

Speakers highlighted policies formulated by the World Trade Organization and it effects on the developing countries, especially their agriculture sector. They stressed the need for creating awareness in the farming community about future challenges.

They cautioned the government against blindly following WTO rules and said that the lack of knowledge of farmers in Balochistan and other areas of agriculture production would cause them problems, adding that the imposition of restrictions under the WTO rules would harm the interests of local farmers.

Speakers said that developed states, including the United States and the European Union, were providing huge farming subsidies, adding that it would lead to doubling of prices in the international market that would affect the quantum of export of local rice, wheat, cotton and sugar. The speakers called for the local peasants and small farmers to join hands to safeguard their interest in the emerging trade regime.