WTO and Pakistan's Agriculture

Speaking in a 1 day seminar on Impact of WTO policies on Pakistan's agriculture,organised by the Pakistan Rural Development Prgogram (PRDP)-NGO, in Peshawar on 3oth June 2010, Dr. Wajid Pirzada said that given equal opportunities for agricultural development and export,trade liberalization will be in the interest of developing countries like Pakistan, having natural comparative advantage in agriculture.The agricultural development however, is unequal because of technology, information,infrastructure and ability to subsidize, across developed and developing countries. The WTO rules thus need to address this issue objectively through Doha Developent Agenda (DDA).
At the same time, countries like Pakistan should make genuine effort in specializing in their area of comparative advantge, adding value to agricultural produce and adhering to standards economy for developing competence in competitiveness.Proactive engagement in WTO negotiations, as informed policy, will be rewarding in the long run, Dr.Pirzada added.