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MULTAN Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced the establishment of a commission consisting of representatives from the centre and provinces to revolutionise agro-industrial activities in the country.
Speaking at a ceremony after inaugurating the Rs321.89 million project of Agro Food Processing facilities at the Industrial Estate Area, Multan, the prime minister also announced the establishment of an agro industrial park in Multan.
Earlier, addressing the inaugural ceremony, Mr Gilani said the establishment of the processing facility would bring about a positive changes for farmers of the region and would prove a milestone for the industrial development of the area.
He said that Multan played an important role in the national economy and the agriculture sector but unfortunately the area had been neglected since long.
He said the agriculture sector contributed a major share to the national economy as 45 per cent of jobs in the country were generated from the sector.
He said that when the world was facing serious economic crisis there was a need to promote agro-based industries.
He said the farming community had the opportunity to bring their agricultural produces to the international market where demand for grains, fruits and vegetables had registered a considerable surge.
He said the government was working to create an investment-friendly atmosphere in the country.
It had launched a number of projects to convince investors to invest in industries, he added. He announced that agro food processing plants would be established in other parts of the country as well.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, in his speech, said that only flourished agro-industry could help increase export volumes.
He said he had suggested the prime minister to make a joint commission of provinces and the federation to identify the potential of the agriculture sector so that measures could be taken to improve the economy.
He called the project a step forward, saying that farmers and orchard owners would get reasonable prices of their products.
Later, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani participated in the annual death ceremony of his father, Syed Alamdar Husain Gilani.
He also inaugurated the newly-built Regional Tax Office building.
