US presses Pakistan to allow passage of Afghan agricultural goods to India
By ANIWednesday, January 13, 2010
ISLAMABAD - In a bid to revive Afghanistan’s once prosperous export industry, the United States is pressing Pakistan to allow Afghan agricultural products to pass through its territory to India.
This is considered a major challenge for the U.S., given Pakistan’s reluctance.
“One challenge is making sure that we can continue to promote exports from Afghanistan, particularly to India. That is their main customer,” RTI news quoted visiting U.S. Agriculture Sectary Tom Vilsack as saying.
He said tri-lateral discussions were needed with Pakistan and Afghanistan to effect a transit agreement, under which Afghan agricultural products could be transited unhindered across Pakistan to India.
The other challenge, according to Vilsack, was related to security, which was why it was important to have the military presence in Afghanistan.
And that presence was already making a difference in many areas, he pointed out.
He said stabilization and redevelopment of Afghanistan’s agriculture would create opportunities in long run, adding that would create jobs and wealth, besides bringing stability to that war-torn violence-ravaged country.
This is the first trip of a U.S. Agriculture Secretary to Afghanistan of late as a part of Washington’s efforts to give a fresh impetus to rebuild that country’s agricultural economy. (ANI)
