KARACHI: The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) has urged the Ministry of Commerce to assist in adopting khashkhash as food and food ingredient, a statement said on Monday.

The Unisame asked the Ministry of Commerce to urge the United Nations (UN) to revisit the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961, and remove the bar on khashkhash as its standard has been adopted by Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) as food and food ingredient.

The legal experts said that the ban on its cultivation and trade has now become infructuous and the UN must allow its free import, export and transit forthwith.

Unisame president Zulfikar Thaver said that it is high time the UN comprehends the fact that the signatories to the UN Single Convention 1961, have committed themselves to the other variety of poppy seeds which are for different purposes.

But it has not given much attention to khashkhash, which is food and food ingredients with multiple nutrition and health values, he added.

The Unisame Council has requested the Ministry of Commerce, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Custom officials and the PSQCA to convene a joint meeting to resolve the matter in the best interest of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) farmers and traders.