Farm mechanization to accelerate agricultural growth: Sikanadar Bosan

Islamabad, January 09, 2014 (PPI-OT): Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) said that ramping up farm mechanization will accelerate growth rate in agriculture sector.

The Federal Minister also said that the present government was committed to the welfare of farming community and in this regard was taking various measures to uplift and modernize agriculture sector. The Minister said this in a meeting with a delegation of Tractor and Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers here today.

During the course of meeting, the delegation apprised that sale of tractors was on downward trajectory due to increase in General Sales Tax (GST) from 10% to 17%. As a result, the prices of tractors have increased substantially which was affecting the farming community. Moreover, due to increase in GST, demand for tractors had decreased considerably and the production of tractors has suffered badly.

The delegation requested that GST on tractors should be kept at 5% in the larger interest of the agriculture economy of the country as was the case in China, India, and Turkey. Seerat Asghar Secretary MNFSR said that the ministry will take up the issue with relevant authorities after evaluating the matter.

The Federal Minister said that the government was quite sympathetic of the problems confronting the farmer community of and was making all possible efforts to make agriculture a profitable sector.

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