Pakistan has to adopt Chinese technology for abundant agriculture-food: Pakistani Minister

ISLAMABAD, October 16: Pakistani Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam said on Friday afternoon that Pakistan has to adopt Chinese technology for abundant agriculture-food.

“Pakistan can be successful like China by adopting their technology and discipline,” he remarked while speaking as chief guest at an event in connection with World Food Day (WFD) jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) here.

The Federal Minister emphasized that “we have to adopt an evidence- based approach to policy-making, by considering diverse areas impacting food systems including agriculture, education, environment, water, social protection and finance”.

He stressed the need to increase awareness about safe and nutritious food, and encouraged the stakeholders to produce more nutritious food sustainably, and manage food waste.

WFD is celebrated every year on October 16th– the founding day of the FAO, to raise awareness of the need for supporting the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Imran called for action across sectors to ensure that our agri-food systems deliver enough affordable, nutritious and safe food for all.

He mentioned that the government’s farmer friendly and pro-export policies and financial assistance to vulnerable population through social protection programs (Ehsas) has helped them during these hard times of COIVD19 pandemic, he informed.

On this occasion, FAO Representative in Pakistan Florence Rolle said that the COVID-19 pandemic had off tracked to meet our commitments to end world hunger and malnutrition. “Between 720 and 811 million people in the world face hunger,” she added.

Rolls pointed out: “Nearly 2.37 billion people did not have access to adequate food in 2020, an increase of 320 million people in just one year. No region of the world has been spared.

Conflict, climate variability and extremes, and economic slowdowns and downturns (now exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic) are major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition, she opined.

She noted that in the backdrop of these statistics, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres had convened the Food Systems Summit in September 2021 to forge consensus on bold new actions to transform the way the world produces, and consumes food, with an aim to get back on track to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

In his turn, Secretary MNFS&R, Tahir Khursheed said that Pakistan has affirmed its commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as its own national development agenda through a unanimous National Assembly Resolution.

In this context, he recalled that Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan had launched Agricultural Emergency Program, having mega projects for productivity enhancement of major crops as well as improvement in livestock and water sector.

“These projects are focusing on strengthening research activities and providing quality seed of improved varieties, farm machinery and improved production packages to the farmers,

he added.

Acting Chairman PARC Dr Ghulam Muhammad Alli said as “we are celebrating 41st World Food Day under the theme “Our actions are our future- better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.”

“The overall food self-sufficiency situation in the county is still fragile besides enhanced production of major commodities like wheat, sugarcane and rice,” he informed l.

The food security challenges have increased manifolds under the prevailing scenario of COVID-19 pandemic where international trade, lockdown, closure of manufacturing sector and free movement of transport sector have slowed down drastically, he elaborated.

He warned that managing food and fiber security in the future can be more challenging and demanding than it was in the past, in view of the quantity and quality of land, water, and human labor available.