Tax-free import of machinery urged

LAHORE: The poultry industry has called for tax-free import of machinery and loans along the same lines as was announced for the textile industry by the government.
In a statement on Tuesday, former chairman of the Poultry Association, Abdul Basit, said Pakistan’s poultry sector has the potential to grasp major share of the $3 trillion Halal food trade globally, provided this sector is facilitated.
He said the government should announce loans at a two percent markup for the poultry industry to enable it to produce export surplus.
Pakistan is the only country that has the largest irrigated Basin. Besides, some international reports have suggested that Indus Basin has the potential to fulfill food grain needs of the entire world, he said.
The former poultry chief said the industry cannot prosper unless it has backing of the agriculture sector that provides all the raw material.
“The Muslim population around the world utilises Halal products with uncertainty because they cannot say they are using the actual halal products,” Basit said, adding, in Pakistan all the products are considered halal and could be exported if the industry is prudently facilitated by the government.