ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain has emphasised the need for adoption of a multidimensional approach for investing in food security and uplifting the rural livelihoods to control the migration patterns in the rural areas.
“I am confident that food security will continue to be one of the priority areas for our future public and private investments to achieve self-sufficiency and rural development,” the president said in a message on the occasion of World Food Day being observed on Monday.
He was pleased to learn that the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (NFS&R) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in collaboration with other UN agencies and partner organisations are celebrating the day to highlight the significance of achieving self-sufficiency in food grains.
Mamnoon said that it is heartening to note that Pakistan has made significant progress in food production over the last seventy years as it has witnessed a considerable increase in the production of wheat and rice. The present government is also focusing on the sustainable development of agriculture sector and in this regard has taken a number of measures for the welfare of the farming community, he added.
“Pakistan is now not only self-sufficient in both these food grains, but it has also become an exporter of these commodities,” he said.
The president stressed that the food security, in the context of population growth, is a major concern and millions of humans around the globe are in constant need of food and shelter. This is particularly true for Pakistan as it has been working in close coordination with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in managing the Afghan refugees, he emphasised.
He also said that Pakistan is committed to achieving food security and alleviate poverty in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
