Agriculture and food security sectors: Provinces, G-B and AJK ordered to boost consultations

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed provincial governments, along with the administrations of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), to strengthen the consultation process surrounding a newly unveiled strategic roadmap aimed at boosting the agriculture and food security sectors.

The prime minister, while chairing a high-level meeting on the affairs of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research, described agriculture and food security as “key pillars of the national economy,” emphasising the critical role these sectors play in stabilising the country’s economic framework.

The prime minister also called for sustained engagement with scholars trained in agricultural research from China, instructing officials to maintain regular consultation with these experts to guide reforms within Pakistan’s agricultural sector.

During the meeting, officials gave a detailed briefing on the Prime Minister’s Strategic Roadmap for Agriculture and Food Security, which they described as structured around five core pillars.

The stated objective of the initiative is to establish a stable, competitive, and resilient agricultural and food system capable of meeting the needs of the country’s growing population.

Under the roadmap, officials added, a series of measures would be implemented to enhance food security, expand private sector participation in agricultural exports, and prioritise climate-resilient crops.

Water governance initiatives and coordinated research efforts are also planned to modernise agricultural practices.

Steps to improve public nutrition will be supported through the creation of a central dashboard to monitor commodity storage, protection, mechanisation, and overall supply chain efficiency.

The roadmap also outlines the digitisation of agricultural regulation and the introduction of both farm and non-farm credit schemes to provide farmers with greater access to capital.

Officials further highlighted plans to boost the nutritional value of crops and promote bio-fortified foods, alongside the launch of targeted packages to support agriculture in the country’s ten most underdeveloped districts.

An agri-graduates utilisation scheme is also set to be rolled out to encourage agricultural research and strengthen human capital in the sector.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for National Food Security & Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema, Minister of State for Finance & Railways Bilal Azhar Kiani, prime minister’s special assistant on industries Haroon Akhtar, and chief secretaries from the four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, and AJK, as well as senior government officials.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026