News: USAID to boost Pakistan's horticulture exports
Name of the Newspaper: Pakistan Observer
Date of publication: Thursday, 30 August, 2007
Website:

STAFF REPORTER
ISLAMABAD - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has decided to provide financial and technical assistance to help increase Pakistan's horticulture exports to S I billion by 2012. The USAID will provide innovative methods to promote financing and competitiveness of the Horticulture sector in Pakistan, this was informed to the first meeting of the Implementation Committee of the Task Force on Finance and Competitiveness of the horticulture sector in Pakistan.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Zia-ur-Rehman, Secretary Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MinFAL) and attended by the representatives of the various relevant ministries, concerned provincial departments and the agribusiness marketing institutions. Speaking on the occasion, Arthur Bayhan, Chief Executive Officer of the Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF) - a joint venture of US AID and Pakistan's ministry of fl11ancebriefed the members of the implementation committee about the new methods used in several emerging market economies to promote fl11ancing and competitiveness of the sectors that have potential to grow.

Bayhan explained the structure and the functionality of the Task Force, as well as, of the sub-committees that were set-up by the meeting of the Task Force chaired by Dr. Salman Shah, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Economic Affairs on the 12th of July. Sub-committees that would generate specific action items and work to coordinate the work already being undertaken by government line agencies, projects and the private sector. These sub-committees are to analyze the current situation in the horticulture industry and report back to the Task Force. Where necessary the sub-committees will identifY areas that require further intervention and liaise with the relevant line ministries, agencies and institutions to bring these about. The four sub-committees provisionally constituted are on Horticulture-business Finance chaired by Javed Malik, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, a sub-committee on Infrastructure chaired by M ushtaq Malik, Secretary of the Board of investment, a sub-committee for Quality, Standards and Regulation chaired by Dr. Kauser Abdullah Malik, Member of the PlalUUng Conunission and a sub-committee for Production, Processing and Marketing chaired by Salim Jharga, Additional Secretary of MinFAL.

The Ministry of Finance established the Task Force for Horticulture Finance and Competitiveness (TFHFC) early this month to bring the stakeholders together on one platfOlm. The Task Force at its initial brainstorming meeting on 12th July 2007 decided that an Implementation Committee I would be formed and chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MinFAL). It also decided that the Board of Investment to move a sununary thorough the Board of Investment to declaring the I horticulture sector as a recognised industry in Pakistan.

Due to the importance of finance and the role of the commercial banks, the Task Force was placed under the Ministry of Finance to enhance the finance and I competitiveness of the horticulture' sector. The Task Force made three main initiatives i.e. formation of the I implementation committee.