Steps being taken to increase wheat yield, food security: Tanveer

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain on Friday said the government is taking various measures to increase wheat yield to 3.5 tons per hectare and is strengthening cooperation with private partners to support national food security objectives.

The minister said this during a meeting with Dr Flavio Breseghello, Director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Programme, and Dr Sajid Ali, Senior Scientist and Country Representative for Pakistan.

During the meeting the minister stressed for stronger collaboration with CIMMYT to increase Pakistan’s wheat productivity through improved genetics, modern research facilities and advanced production technologies.

Referring to the recent need for wheat imports, he said Pakistan must address its productivity gap through better seed, stronger research and wider adoption of modern agricultural technologies, according to an official statement issued here. The minister said the government has formulated a comprehensive long-term wheat policy for 2026–30 in order to strengthen national food security through modern reforms.

Hussain said that stronger research partnerships and practical innovations would be essential to achieving these objectives amid rising input costs and growing climate pressures. He appreciated CIMMYT’s historic contribution to the country’s agricultural development, including the role of MAXIPAK varieties in Pakistan’s Green Revolution.

The Minister said the next phase of cooperation should focus increasingly on cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions capable of delivering further gains in wheat productivity.

Rana Tanveer Hussain also welcomed CIMMYT’s support for strengthening national agricultural research institutions through upgraded laboratories, modern research equipment and farm machinery. These investments would improve the quality of field research, strengthen wheat breeding and seed processing, and enable researchers to generate reliable scientific data, he said.

Briefing the Minister on activities undertaken during 2026 to mark six decades of partnership, Dr Sajid Ali said laboratory and working facilities had been upgraded at five key wheat research institutions, including the National Agricultural Research Centre in Islamabad, with necessary laboratory equipment also provided. Research farm machinery had been supplied to 11 national research partners across the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026