President Asif Ali Zardari has called upon the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) to urgently chalk out a comprehensive national food security policy to further promote and develop the agricultural sector and to create a conducive environment for the facilitation of the farmers and their associations.
In his message on the occasion of World Food Day being observed in Pakistan and through out the world on October 16, the President said the right to food for the people of Pakistan is also enshrined in the constitution and the government feels duty bound to honour this fundamental right. The President said, "I am confident that we will rise to the challenges of food security not only in Pakistan but also in other food deficit countries in the region so as to achieve the goal of Food Security for All".
He said on this World Food Day, there is need to reiterate the commitment to create greater awareness about the importance of developing agriculture to ensure food security for a rapidly growing population.
Referring to the theme of the day "Agricultural co-operatives - key to feeding the world" the President said it rightly pointed out the important role agricultural co-operatives and small farmers can play in improving food security and eradicating hunger and undernourishment.
He said agriculture in Pakistan is beset with many challenges, these include stagnancy in produce, water shortage, adverse impacts of erratic climatic changes, natural disasters land degradation. "We need to minimise post-harvest losses, increase value addition and search for new markets so that the food is not wasted and the growers are benefited," said the President.
He said there is a great need for employing state-of-the-art technologies and reducing input costs. The President said facilitation of the farming community, especially the medium and small farmers and the promotion of agricultural co-operatives is another area that needs urgent attention. He said the government has accorded highest priority to agriculture and facilitating the farmer community.
The President said from the supply of seeds and provision of easy loans to significantly increasing the procurement prices of agricultural products, the government has been offering numerous incentives to motivate formers to grow more food and create more job opportunities.
He said, "Our farming community deserves to be commended for demonstrating great resilience in withstanding the devastating impact of recurring natural disasters". The President said despite suffering huge losses as a result of unprecedented floods the country has exportable surplus wheat. He said the sugarcane production today stands at a record 63 million tons and for the first time the production of sugar will be 5 million tons. He said cotton production has also increased and reached a record 14.2 million bales. However there is need to do a lot more to realise the true potential of the agricultural sector.