‘Import of Indian tomato banned to protect farmers’

LAHORE :A ban on importing tomatoes from India has been imposed to protect interest of local farmers, said a spokesman for provincial agriculture department.

He said Monday that the ban will not only help in increasing income of local tomato growers but also in eliminating various diseases that have been spreading in crops. He disclosed that Indian tomatoes have been infected with five types of diseases and viruses including leaf curl New Delhi virus, tomato yellow leaf curl virus, aspermy virus and mosaic virus.

The spokesman said 0.233 million tons of tomatoes have been imported from India during 2015-16 with the cost of Rs 7.91 billion. Collectively, he claimed, Pakistan would get benefited to the tune of Rs 100 billion and trade imbalance would also be reduced due to imposing ban on import of tomatoes.

Talking about resumption of local tomato supplies for meeting demand of the commodity, he said, consignments of locally produced fresh tomatoes would reach Punjab markets by mid-October. He added that price of tomatoes would be reduced considerably once tomatoes from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtonkhawa hit the local market.

lab project: Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Secretary Najam Ahmed Shah has said that a state-of-the-art central lab will be established in Lahore for which services of international institutions will be hired.

During a meeting, chaired by the Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Khwaja Salman Rafiq, he told that international tenders would soon be invited for this purpose. The meeting discussed the projects of setting up of the central lab in Lahore with the Ghazi Group and EMSEY Hospital Ankara, Turkey.

Khwaja Salman Rafiq said the basic objective for setting up the lab is to provide high standard facilities to the deserving patients.

He said different options were under consideration for establishing the laboratory including construction of purpose built building for the lab at an open place and renting of a building for the laboratory. Final decision would be taken according to the recommendations of the technical experts. 

He said Punjab government would go through a transparent process for pre-qualification of the firms and international tenders would be invited soon for awarding the contract of the project.

awareness: The month of October is celebrated as international month of breast cancer awareness worldwide. This year too Pakistan’s national awareness campaign, Pink Ribbon, is doing what is needed at various levels by raising public awareness about the disease, highlighting the role of research into the causes of breast cancer and promoting the significance of early detection of breast cancer in terms of better treatment and survival. Such activities are carried out all year round but the month of October is special.  According to Pink Ribbon, due to lack of awareness many women refuse to go for any kind of breast examination. 

To mark October as PINKtober breast cancer awareness month, Pink Ribbon has launched a nationwide breast cancer awareness drive and started fundraising for building Pakistan’s first dedicated breast cancer hospital. The campaign which includes reaching out to over 200,000 young girls for breast cancer awareness only during October is launched in coordination with Higher Education Commission.

Pink Ribbon CEO Omer Aftab said: “Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cancerous cause of death. Thus there is a need that we pay special focus on preventing this disease.”

He said Pink Ribbon has started the construction of Pakistan’s first dedicated Breast Cancer Hospital.  In October, Pink Ribbon is going to spread awareness among young female students and organising various events to sensitise women and girls at the community level through direct interaction.