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Poultry sector assured of government help
LAHORE (February 26
2004): Punjab government has assured the poultry
sector of the province that it would provide
all-out assistance and financially rehabilitate
the poultry sector, which has been severely
affected by false propaganda of bird flu virus.
While addressing a seminar arranged by Pakistan
Poultry Association (PPA) here on Wednesday,
Punjab Agriculture Minister Arshad Lodhi said that
the Punjab Chief Minister has assured full
co-operation and pledged to extend relief to the
poultry sector.
He further said that the CM would soon announce
Special Crisis Management Committee to protect
this sector from any future crises.
While addressing the audience, Punjab Livestock
and Dairy Development Minister Syed Haroon Sultan
pointed out that not a single case of bird flu was
reported in Pakistan.
"Pakistani chickens were free from the disease,
hence it should be consumed without any hesitation
or fear," he added.
Punjab Health Minister Tahir Ali Javaid also
spoke. He said that after thorough study of the
matter, health experts have declared that the
Pakistani poultry sector was not suffering from
the bird flu disease.
He stressed the need for introducing long-term
measures on permanent basis to guard the poultry
sector from such incidents in future.
Representatives of poultry industry, including
Muhammad Yousaf Khokhar, Chairman PPA; Abdul Basit,
Chairman PPA Punjab, and Raza Mahmood Khursand,
Member Executive Committee Punjab, also spoke.
They demanded of the government to exempt the
poultry sector from all kinds of taxation for the
next 10 years at least and to hold an inquiry of
ongoing poultry crisis.
Courtesy Business
Recorder
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