LAHORE, Dec 5: President Pervez Musharraf is keen to build new water reservoirs and the country will soon to have two of them, Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool said here on Sunday.
He was talking to newsmen after inaugurating a three-day Punjab Agri-business Conference-2004, jointly organized by the private sector, the Punjab government and Board of Investment.
The governor claimed that the government was also introducing sprinkle and drip irrigation with a view to maximizing utilization of water for enhancing agriculture productivity. The government had opened up the country for foreign investment and liberalized economy.
Underlining the need for investment in the agriculture sector, he said Pakistan's economy was improving and providing huge potential for business. He said the agriculture sector was registering growth with 9.6 million cotton bales produced so far.
Referring to the other investment areas, he counted milk processing, marketing seeds, fertilizers and pesticides as areas for potential investment. He said there were bright prospects for investment in mechanization -- manufacturing of tractors, harvesters, spray machines etc. He also underlined the need to build more god owns and cool chains.
The governor also highlighted export potential of agriculture produces, including flowers, fruits, vegetables and meat. He also stressed for revamping ginning factories in the country, adding that the latest technology should be adopted to meet the challenges of contemporary world.
He made it clear that the government was taking concrete steps for the betterment of farming community and hailed efforts of the agriculture department for making this event successful.
Federal Privatization Minister Dr Hafeez Sheikh threw light on various fields of economy which had attractions for investors. He said Punjab's agriculture, tourism and small and medium sector had vast potential for investment.
He said the government wanted to achieve five per cent growth in agriculture and four per cent in the livestock sector. Availability of inputs was the main factor for increasing the productivity of agriculture. He also referred to high edible oil and tea demand that could be catered by enhancing local production.
The government, he said, had introduced corporate agriculture to attract foreign investment. However, there was need to lure more investment in the field. He also indicated that food processing was yet to be fully explored by the investors in the country.
Among others, Mian Mansha and Babar Ayaz, also spoke on the occasion. Later, the governor, agriculture minister Arshad Lodhi and agriculture secretary Fayyaz Bashir took a round of the exhibition in which different agro-based companies displayed their products.
During the visit, Kissan Board secretary-general Ibrahim Mughal urged the governor to take long-term steps for the promotion of agriculture sector. The governor and the provincial agriculture minister supported the KBP proposal.