Agriculture sector opposes granting NDMA/MFN status to India

The Agriculture Task Force (ATF) of Pakistan-India Joint Business Forum (PIJBF) is vehemently opposed to granting Non-Discriminatory Market Access/Most Favoured Nation (NDMA/MFN) to India at this stage. President, Farmers Associates Pakistan (FAP) and Co-Chair of Agriculture Task force, PIJBF, Tariq Bucha in a letter sent to the federal commerce minister has highlighted that agriculture sector, which is by far the biggest employer in the country, categorically opposes granting NDMA/MFN to India till proper preparations are completed on our side to protect our sectors from enormous Indian subsidies, and get significant market access from India for Pakistani goods, to ensure the level playing field as per the requirement laid down in the cabinet decision of February 29, 2012. Unnecessary haste with which the government of Pakistan is proceeding to open Wagah border and to more than 137 items before India lowers its agriculture tariffs and removes all kinds of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary (SPS) barriers which are undermining our negotiating leverage and position. "For Agriculture produce and products, Wagah route cannot be opened any further, until a separate bilateral agri-trade agreement is negotiated involving stakeholders including FAP, and is finalised and signed, based on an impartial and independent study for that purpose," he said.