Food security: First meeting of NFSC remains pending

World Food Organisation keen on extending financial support

ISLAMABAD: The World Food Programme (WFP) is keen on extending financial and technical support to the country’s National Food Security Commission (NFSC), but the uncertain status of the body is apparently a hurdle.

Despite the notification sent in November 2014, followed by an announcement by the federal government in the budget 2014-15, the NFSC has not been able to hold its first meeting due to a lack of response from the Prime Minister Secretariat, even after a lapse of ten months.

“Many international organisations including the WFP are interested in supporting the commission financially and technically, but its virtual defunctness is the key hurdle in not only resolving food security related issues, but also in attracting donors,” said a senior official from the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

He said a delegation of the WFP visited the ministry recently and held a meeting with the concerned authorities, assuring them financial and technical support for strengthening the newly-established commission, once it is formally operational. The commission would be able to better coordinate between the provinces and centre as well as with the international agencies.

The ministry has been sending reminders to the Prime Minister Secretariat to hold the first meeting.

The PM would be the chairman of the newly established NFSC, which would have its own secretariat at the Ministry of National Food Security and Research Islamabad.

The National Food Security and Research Minister would be the deputy chairman of the body.

According to documents available with The Express Tribune, the commission has five key mandates to undertake while being a national level organisation.

The first is to forge a consensus between federal and provincial governments and administrative regions regarding policy formulation for assurance of long-term food security in the country.

The second mandate is resource allocation by the federal and provincial governments and administrative units for the development of agriculture to ensure food security in the country.

The third focus will be on infrastructure development for export maximisation of agriculture products, besides, promoting value addition and ensuring food security for vulnerable and marginalised communities.

Earlier in the budget 2014-15, the federal government had announced establishment of the NFSC with a view to developing a national policy for the long-term sustainability of agriculture on profitable basis.

After devolution of the agriculture subject to provinces, not only the ministry had been facing difficulties coordinating with provinces about the food security related issues, but international donor agencies in the sector also faced challenges coordinating with authorities due to the absence of a centralised body.

The NFSC was established to solve both these problems.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th,  2015.

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