FAISALABAD, April 18: Agricultural scientists on Friday stressed on creating awareness about the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements among farmers, exporters, traders, researchers and other segments of society to meet the future challenges.

Speakers at a seminar held here at the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) in collaboration with the Punjab Agricultural Research Board (PARB), Lahore, said an intensive campaign should be launched in the country about the impact of WTO agreements on agricultural economy.

Mr Shah Nawaz, incharge of WTO Cell, PARB, said efforts were being made to evolve policies according to the requirements of WTO agreements. He described the functions and different agreements of the WTO related to agriculture.

Punjab Economic and Research Institute, Lahore, director Dr Muhammad Jamil said under the WTO, subsidies to the farmers would be eliminated.

Dr Sultan Mahmood, chairman of Plant Pathology Department, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, underlined the importance of improving the quality of eatables and said under the WTO agreements only those products could be exported which met international quality standards.

Anti-drugs drive: The district government with the active participation of teachers and students will launch an anti-narcotics campaign to create awareness among the masses about its ill effects.

Functions and declamation contests will be held in educational institutions in this regard.

This decision was taken at a meeting chaired by District Nazim Zahid Nazir.

It was also decided that in order to achieve the goal, the meeting of the district anti-narcotics committee would be held after every two months.

The meeting said that the anti-narcotics walk should also be arranged after every two months and the participation of officers of different government departments, representatives of NGOs, students and the general public be ensured in it.