Govt to consult stakeholders on organic food policy

Minister says organic agriculture ecosystem can help fight poverty, climate change

ISLAMABAD:

Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam has said that the national organic agriculture policy will be framed in consultation with all stakeholders for ensuring safe and healthy food for the local population besides tapping the export potential of organic food.

Addressing a workshop on “Building Policy Ecosystem for Organic Production Landscape in Pakistan” on Tuesday, Imam said that the immense potential in the organic agriculture ecosystem could play an important role in fighting poverty and climate change.

“There is a dire need to promote organic agriculture for safe and healthy food for local and international population,” he said, adding that it would help in efficient water management practices for future generations and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as well as transforming the conventional agricultural production system.

The minister said that the policy would play a pivotal role in boosting the domestic organic industry, adding that the workshop on organic agricultural policy intended to form a national working group to build the policy ecosystem for the organic production landscape in Pakistan and for promoting organic agriculture.

The workshop was also attended by representatives of the federal, provincial governments and private sector including seed, bio-input companies, dealers, manufacturers, farmers’ associations and organic farmers to acknowledge the emerging demand for organic agriculture landscape and its role in poverty alleviation.

The stakeholders accorded high importance to the organic agriculture policy and the availability of organic seeds and bio-inputs to make organic agriculture sustainable and provided suggestions for the development of organic agriculture policy. Imam assured full support for establishing the national working group with members from the federal, provincial governments and private sector to develop the organic agriculture policy.

He said that the organic agriculture policy would play a pivotal role in boosting the domestic organic industry. Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council Chairman Dr Muhammad Azeem also highlighted the importance of organic agriculture policy development in the context of national organic agriculture development and assured them of technical support for developing the policy.

Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) Senior Regional Director Asia Dr Babar E Bajwa, who was also present on the occasion, briefed the participants about the importance of transformation of agriculture from conventional to organic in the context of food safety, climate change and exports.