Importance of WTO for Pakistan’s agriculture

OPPORTUNITIES FOR PAKISTAN
Pakistan has potential to convert the challenges into opportunities through increasing capacity-building of the agriculture sector. The current DOHA ROUND successful negotiation will improve market access in the developed countries markets. European Union (EU) issued GSP+ status to Pakistan in year, 2013 in the agricultural items such as livestock and meat, dairy products, vegetables, fruits, Dairy Fruits, seeds and oils and other edibles etc. The extension of the EU’s GSP+ preferences to Pakistan will improve its competitiveness but access in EU’s markets largely depends upon Pakistani farmers capacity-building to meet EU consumer’s demand.  Pakistan has also an opportunity to export its agricultural products [like broken rice, kinnows, and ethanol, fish products including shrimps, dates potatoes, fruit juices, water melon and dried apricots] to neighboring countries such as India, china and Iran [22-24].  On the other hand, Pakistan has an equal opportunity to increase his export and economy in the field of textile and clothing, general agreement on trade in services, agreement on trade related investment measures and agreement on trade related intellectual property rights with developed countries (DC) and less developed countries (LDC) [25-28]. With the implementation of agreement Pakistan exports would receive significant tariff reduction from the DC and LDC. On the other hand, strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) indicates a frame work for helping the scientists, economists, researchers, agriculturists, planners and farmers community to set proper objectives for achieving maximum benefits under limited resources availability. As Such, SWOT analysis is also helpful for identification of possible strategies especially for agriculture development, farming system improvement that helps the scientists to manage priorities in a good way for achieving food security [29,30].

Possible Strategies
In order to make optimum use of opportunities offered by the progressive liberalization of trade in agriculture sector, Government of Pakistan should take a number of additional initiatives for improving and enhancing agricultural products to meet SPS, TBT and TRIPS standards, upgrading the agriculture innovation system, enhancing access to credit, diversifying export making it more value added and adoption of better farming practices, Moreover the government has to be focused on research and development (R&D) [31]. On the other hand, Pakistan should prepare to improve and restructure the textile and clothing as well as other agriculture commodities for promoting value addition and quality. Pakistan should take credible measures to strengthen the economy of the country by adoption WTO agreements, international enforcement procedures, modifying intellectual property protection laws and actively participation in WTO negotiations for the incorporation of its own agenda in to various agreements [32-34]. This will be very fruitful for achieving good results and making alliances with other countries having common interests.

Recommendations
To round of the brief discussion on the subject the following results have achieved:

1. There is a need to develop a comprehensive course of action for sustainable accelerated growth in agriculture sector.
2. In 2010 Kenya banned Pakistani Rice due to Quality Certification issue and there is a need that Pakistan should upgrade its quality standards in the light of SPS and TBT Agreements.
3. Pakistan has to change its methods of production in the traditional means of production.
4. There is lack of awareness among the farmers regarding the new challenges and demands under the WTO regime.

Pakistan has potential to export its agricultural products in European Markets and neighboring countries but this depend upon the Government priorities and Trade Policies.

Conclusion

The WTO is a fact of life. Like any other dispensation, it causes threats of loss and offers opportunities for gain particularly in agriculture sector. Therefore, there will be both loser and achiever hence it is necessary, among other things, to develop effective mechanism to convert the challenges into opportunities. Pakistan has to drop a sound and comprehensive strategy for sustainable accelerated growth in agriculture sector. There is dire need to update Pakistan in agriculture in the light of global requirements. “We have to make our agriculture region fit for the 21st century”. We can optimize opportunities, among other things, through increasing/attracting investment, rationalizing “public expenditure, reforming market regulations, expanding market infrastructure, developing agricultural infrastructure, improving market information system, establishing new laboratories and their proper certification”. Government should take a step to educate the farmers by adopting the following strategies for strengthen of the agriculture sector.

1. Development and equal access of local market opportunities to poor peoples.
2. Planting of those crops with high economic returns.
3. Government sector must supportive to the farmers for increasing the economy and agricultural crops of the country.
4. Preparing strategic plans to achieve maximum goals for increasing the yield of the crop.
5. Government must supply pure and healthy seed to the farmers for the production of quality crops.
6. Evaluation and determination of import export ratio of goods per annum.
7. Educate the farmers with the proper utilization of the new agricultural techniques.