KARACHI : The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) thanked prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif for substantial cut in petroleum prices and appreciated the positive step taken by his government for the benefit of the SME sector.

President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver thanked the PM on behalf of the majority sector and said this will definitely reduce the cost of logistics and reflect well on cost of production.

He urged the PM to now focus on modernizing agriculture and facilitate the SME farmers to improve farm efficiency and productivity by reducing duties on farm inputs and agricultural equipments.

He said agriculture is the backbone of the economy and the primary sector which is the majority sector. The primary sector deserves the best attention of the policy makers. There is urgent need for the promotion of the primary sector on modern lines.

He recommended financial assistance for the primary sector to free them from the clutches of the money lenders who squeeze the SME farmers and leave them with negligible income from farm produce.

Thaver emphasized the need for the uplift of the primary sector and explained that the primary sector is the sector that produces all raw material for the secondary sector.

The secondary sector depends on the primary sector as the source of supplies and adds value to the chain. The services sector also derives income from basic supplies from the primary sector. It is therefore very important that the primary sector is promoted and developed as a strong resource.

UNISAME had recommended to the planning ministry to promote and develope the primary sector and the Vision 2025 has included the sector as the basis for growth.