Pakistan’s government must urgently pass the Naphis Bill if the country is to stand any chance of developing its horticultural exports, say leaders of a local project funded by UNIDO and the EU, TRTAII.
The Bill, drawn up by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research with TRTAII support, sets out to establish a structured, effective and efficient food security system, which the country currently lacks, TRTAII said in its latest newsletter.
'Pakistan continues to struggle to protect its trade and consumer interests with no institution mandated for food safety controls, and as a result Pakistani exporters engage in international trade with few meaningful controls,' it said.
“There is a system level failure of sanitary and phytosanitary controls, leaving Pakistani food security and trading positions highly vulnerable to a wide range of food safety and plant health risks.'
The Naphis Bill will deliver immediate economic benefits, TRTAII said. “The government professes to seek to develop trade as a route to growth, and there could be no clearer evidence of this intent than passage of the Bill as soon as possible.”
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