Punjab government is setting up a model reference laboratory for analysing the pesticides under a transparent procedure and making regulatory role of the government effective in providing quality agricultural medicines to the growers.
This lab is being established in consultation with all the stakeholders, said the Punjab Agriculture Secretary Dr Ijaz Munir while chairing a meeting of the Agricultural Pesticides Technical Advisory Committee (APTAC) here on Monday.
Secretary Agriculture said notification of setting up of model lab would be issued in next few days. He said agriculture has become a provincial subject after passage of 18th Amendment and thereafter APTAC was established in the province. The committee is working for registration of pesticide businesses and suggesting necessary amendments to bring this registration process under provincial ambit.
It is hoped that this would help providing quality pesticides to the agriculture leading to increase in per acre yield of all the crops and strengthening the national economy, the meeting observed.
Meeting was attended by the Additional Secretary Agriculture (Task Force) Syed Haider Iqbal, D G Pest Warning, D G Agriculture Extension, scientists, representatives of growers and Pakistan Crop Protection Association.