Ministry aims to build strategic wheat reserves

Food minister insists fertiliser price increase due to hike in global market

ISLAMABAD:

The Ministry of National Food Security and Research is working to build strategic wheat reserves that will cater to the needs of people amid the ongoing challenging times, said Minister for National Food Security Fakhar Imam.

Speaking at a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research on Wednesday, he talked about the increase in prices of fertiliser.

“Rates of urea are totally dependent on international prices, which have soared 70%,” he said.

Committee Chairman Senator Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah appreciated the efforts of the food security minister for fixing the minimum support price of cotton.

He said that a similar exercise was required for wheat in order to give a boost to the morale of growers and motivate them to stick to wheat production.

The current sugar crisis was also discussed and the committee stressed the need to establish a mechanism to ensure that sugarcane crushing began at the specified time.

Meeting participants were of the view that food security was directly linked with national security and a robust strategy should be implemented to address it.

They called for improving the seed technology and revitalising the research institutions.

The committee recommended that in addition to various facets of food security, the challenges faced by farmers should not be ignored.

The body recommended the real-time monitoring of input costs and international prices.

The measures taken by the food security ministry to set a uniform minimum support price of wheat in view of the difference between support prices of provinces last year also came under discussion.

The members talked about the availability of certified wheat seeds to enhance the per acre yield.

Regarding the exorbitant increase in fertiliser rates, the committee was of the view that the government should take stringent measures to curb the price increase as they would adversely affect the efforts being made to ensure self-sufficiency in food.

The meeting was attended by Senator Seemee Ezdi, Senator Sania Nishtar, Senator Kesho Bai and Senator Saifullah Abro.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2021.

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