ISLAMABAD: The upcoming federal cabinet meeting is likely to approve a National Food Security Policy which is expected to modernise agriculture, besides envisaging zero hunger, augmenting of existing water resource base, development of climate-smart agriculture and development of hybrid seeds, fodder crops etc.
Official sources in Ministry of National Food Security and Research (NFS&R), on condition not to be named, disclosed that the next meeting of the federal cabinet is likely to take up “National Food Security Policy” and accord approval.
They said Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, on his return to the country from New York, will give his necessary consent to the proposed “National Food Security Policy”. And, later, the policy will be tabled in the cabinet meeting for final approval, said sources.
Official documents available with Pakistan Today also inform that the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (NFS&R) with the collaboration with all stakeholders including provincial governments has finalised a “National Food Security Policy”. The document has been submitted to the prime minister’s office for formal approval before its placement on the cabinet agenda.
Documents reveal that during the last five years, surplus quantities of major food crops have been recorded in the country. Resultantly, a surplus stock of wheat, rice, sugar, potatoes and other agricultural commodities is available and needs to be exported to earn foreign exchange.
The details of production during last five years show that total production of wheat during the year 2016-17 has recorded 26.40 million tons, rice registered 6.84 million tons, maize 6.13 million tons and sugarcane 75.48 million tons.
Sharing details of the National Food Security Policy, the sources said that government has prepared the policy to develop the agriculture on modern lines. It also seeks to harvest of the untapped potential of high-value agriculture in FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Potohar, Thar, Nara and Kohistan through rain-water harvesting technologies.
Similarly, the policy proposes incentives for food processing, enhancing fruit and horticulture exports up to 20 per cent, enhancing food storage capacity at the federal and provincial level and developing farm mechanisation.
Earlier, Khaqan Abbasi during a meeting held on September 5, 2017, directed the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to work on a policy framework for putting in place optimal methods for ensuring food security in the country.
It is worth mentioning that sustainable growth of the agriculture sector as it was the mainstay of the national economy while presently the agriculture sector is contributing 19.5 per cent to the GDP of the country and around 42 per cent labour force is employed in the sector.
