ISLAMABAD, (APP): Minister for National Food Security
and Research, Sikandar Hayat Bosan on Friday underlined the
fundamental role of agriculture for improvement of food security and
nutrition and poverty eradication globally.
Addressing the 33rd session of the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Conference for the Asia and
the Pacific (APRC), he said recently adopted Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) offered the best hope for humanity.
However, it was a complex framework and developing countries
needed assistance for its implementation, said a statement.
It may be recalled here that the APRC meets every two years to
deliberate on issues pertaining to agriculture in the Asia-Pacific
region.
The main focus of the 33rd APRC session was implementation of
the recently adopted SDGs, improvement of nutrition status in the
region and revitalization of smallholder agriculture by connecting
to value china.
In his statement the minister said that in recent times
agriculture in Pakistan was going through a difficult period
particularly due to the drop in prices of agricultural commodities.
The government, he said had taken several measures to provide
relief to the farmers including the recently announced package worth
Rs. 341 billion.
To improve nutrition in the country, government had rolled
out the National Zero Hunger Programme and was providing support to
the poor through the Benazir Income Support Programme, he added.
He appreciated FAO’s support for the improvement of
Pakistan’s agriculture sector.
The minister also participated in a round table discussion on
the involvement of youth in agriculture. He noted that rural to
urban migration of the youth had increased due to lack of economic
opportunities and was a serious threat to the future of agriculture.
As a result the average age of farmers was rising. It was
essential to create incentives to attract the youth to farming, he
added.
On the sidelines of the conference the Minister had bilateral
meetings with his counterparts from Malaysia, China, Republic of
Korea and Japan.
The discussions were focused on enhancing bilateral
cooperation in the agriculture sector. The minister also met
Director General FAO and the head of FAO’s Regional Office for Asia
and the Pacific.