USAID working to strengthen Pakistan’s agri sector

KARACHI: USAID is working with governmental and other partners to strengthen Pakistan’s agricultural sector, so that the country can meet its domestic food needs and generate export revenues, said Director Economic Growth USAID Alan L. Davis while talking to members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Wednesday.

“USAID’s economic growth program seeks to secure a self-sustaining future for Pakistan by nurturing competitive enterprises, efficient market environments, effective government policies, and business opportunities for women,” said Davis. “These initiatives help to spur broad-based economic growth and improve the earning power of people throughout the country.”

Also present at the occasion was Deputy for Economic Growth and Agriculture USAID Geoffrey Minott. He said that USAID Pakistan Trade Project, active since 2009, supports the Pakistani government and private sector stakeholders in improving the trade environment through effective trade policy implementation, and enhances the capacity, procedures and systems of Pakistan’s institutions to increase regional trade, especially through Pakistan’s borders.

The USAID team was working on the trade project with the National Trade and Transport Facilitation Committee of Commerce Ministry, National Tariff Commission, which covered modernisation of customs practices and procedures in the new Afghanistan-Pakistan transit trade agreement, he added.

“Restructuring of the federal and provincial chapters of the Board of Investment and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority are in progress under the FIRMS project,” he said.

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