ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Food Security and Research, Sikander Hayat Khan Bosan has called upon the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) to play its role in assisting developing countries in implementing the Post-2015 Development Agenda, for ensuring food security and nutrition, eradicating extreme poverty as well as for addressing the challenge of climate change.
A statement received here on Thursday said that the minister attended 39th session of the conference of the FAO in Rome and led the Pakistani delegation.
The theme of the conference was “Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty and Hunger by Strengthening Rural Resilience, Social Protection and Sustainable Agricultural Development”.
Sikandar underscored the commitment of the government to ensure food and nutritional security at all levels and to eradicate hunger and poverty from the country.
To achieve this objective the government had launched the Zero Hunger and Family Farming Programme which was inspired by the Brazilian model. The Programme aimed to reach a total of 61 million people across Pakistan, he added.
Highlighting the long term vision of the government to improve the agriculture sector, he said that the Vision 2025 included a specific focus on promoting sustainable development, including through modernizing the agriculture sector of the country.
He said the Ministry for National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) was making concerted efforts to provide support to the farmers, particularly, smallholders.
Multiple initiatives had been taken to break the cycle of rural poverty and hunger. Special focus was being accorded to help farmers to adopt good agricultural practices in order to produce high quality, value added products which can access export markets and help farmers get higher returns on their produce.
He said that the government was also committed to provide social protection especially to the most vulnerable. The Benazir Income Support Programme, which was launched in 2008 had now become the largest social safety net program in Pakistan’s history benefitting 4.7 million households with annual disbursements expected to reach over Rs. 90 billion in the current financial year.
During the conference, ,minister exchanged views with FAO Director General, WFP Executive Director and IFAD vice president and appreciated them for supporting the government’s efforts to enhance food and nutrition security.
He stressed that there was a need to formulate WFP’s future operations in Pakistan with greater focus on development-oriented activities and capacity-building, particularly in the field of disaster risk reduction and preparedness.
