Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed a broad overhaul of the agriculture sector, ordering the immediate preparation of a National Agriculture Policy, restructuring of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, and creation of a high-level forum to oversee reforms.
Chairing a meeting on the transformation of the ministry, the prime minister asked officials to finalise a comprehensive National Agriculture Policy in consultation with the provinces at the earliest.
He also ordered the establishment of an agriculture apex forum to meet every month for monitoring implementation of the Agriculture Innovation and Growth Plan and accelerating reforms across the sector.
The prime minister directed that the Ministry of National Food Security and Research be restructured along modern lines and called for turning the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council into a centre of excellence for agricultural research and innovation.
Mr Sharif said the agriculture sector had the potential to drive sustainable economic growth and stressed the need to improve the use of certified seeds, modern farming technologies, timely availability of irrigation water and fertilisers, and post-harvest infrastructure such as warehousing and storage facilities.
He also instructed authorities to launch a nationwide awareness campaign for the Zarkhez Agricultural Loan Programme to improve farmers’ access to agricultural financing.
During the meeting, officials informed the prime minister that the National Seed Policy and the National Agriculture Biotechnology Policy had recently been approved.
They also briefed him on progress towards a National Wheat Policy, reforms in the livestock sector, and the Pakistan National Olive Value Chain Policy, which is expected to be placed before the federal cabinet soon.
Officials further told the meeting that the National Agricultural Research Centre was piloting multi-grain flour production and developing an AI-powered mobile application to help farmers identify crop diseases and pests and recommend suitable control measures.
The meeting was also informed that the National Credit Guarantee Company Limited would support farmers by improving access to affordable agricultural loans.
