Govt launches digital reforms in food governance

ISLAMABAD:

The federal government has launched wide-ranging reforms to make food and agricultural governance more transparent, digital and publicly accountable, with a focus on curbing corruption, limiting discretionary powers and strengthening import and export controls, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research said on Sunday.

In a statement, the ministry said 22 of its 31 registrations, licences, certificates and permits had been fully automated under a digitalisation drive rolled out across six attached departments dealing with plants, animals and seeds. The initiative has significantly reduced human intervention, improved traceability and minimised systemic loopholes.

According to the statement, Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain underscored the need for a rules-based system, verifiable decision-making and stronger inter-agency coordination as the core pillars of the reform agenda, the statement said.

As part of the overhaul, the Department of Plant Protection has been modernised, laboratory capacity enhanced, operational controls tightened and systems aligned with international phytosanitary standards to strengthen biosecurity and protect Pakistan's export credibility.