ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's minister for food, agriculture and livestock said Pakistan and Iran were in an ideal position to help Afghanistan rebuild its devastated agriculture infrastructure.

Khair Muhammad Junejo told IRNA in an interview here that "Because of their proximity, Pakistan and the brotherly country of the Islamic Republic of Iran were in the best position to help rebuild Afghan agriculture."

Junejo said both countries should extend every possible assistance to war-ravaged Afghanistan.

"Afghan farmers should be encouraged to replace poppy cultivation with other useful crops," he stressed.

On Pakistan's side, he said it had already offered its services to Afghan interim administration chairman Hamid Karzai to help rebuild the devastated country, including its ravaged agriculture, during Karzai's recent visit to Islamabad.

The minister explained that Islamabad and Tehran had a lot to share in terms of know-how and quality seeds which could go a long way in helping Afghanistan resuscitate its agriculture, a vital sector of the Afghan economy.