Pakistan to allow Bt cotton farming from next year, PM says (7/12/2005) | |
The US now seems to have both India and Pakistan as client states - something it has never managed simultaneously before. The Indian Prime Minister in a speech in Washington back in the summer spoke of how he and President Bush were going to launch a second green revolution. This came in the context of a US deal to support India's nuclear and biotech programmes. Almost simultaneously came an "India - Pakistan - US science academies collaborative research programme on agricultural biotechnology". Pakistan now appears to be launching itself lemming like down the same disastrous Bt cotton path that India has already taken. This despite the recent admission from the Indian government of the failure fo Bt cotton in some parts of the country. (A disaster called Bt cotton - The Times of India) Govt to allow BT cotton farming from next year: Shaukat Talking to a delegation of a delegation of farmers here on Monday, Shaukat Aziz assured them that government would ensure protection of farmers' interests. He said government wants to establish Mango City in Multan that would increase production and its export. He further said several other steps for progress of agro-based industry were also under consideration. Prime Minister announced incentives for promotion of hotel industry. He said government giving spending Rs. 60 billion on the subsidy for petroleum products. He told that international community pledged $ 6.20 billion in the donor's conference of which 60 percent amount was loan and remaining 40 percent aid. |