Combating climate change: ‘Govt committed to ensuring food security’

Parliamentary secretary says govt introducing comprehensive and inclusive policies to overcome the challenges.

LAHORE:

Parliamentary Secretary for Food Chaudhry Muhammad Asadullah said on Thursday said that the government was striving towards ensuring food security for the public.

Asadullah said that the government had been introducing comprehensive and inclusive policies to overcome the challenges posed by climate change and food security under the leadership of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. He said that the government was also developing institutions to protect the environment and increase agricultural productivity. The parliamentary secretary was addressing the inaugural ceremony of Oxfam Pakistan’s Harvesting Global Food Security and Justice in the Face of Climate Change campaign. The ceremony was organised by Oxfam and the Indus Consortium. He said that addressing food security was the need of hour as it was inextricably linked with the ramifications of climate change as agricultural productivity was dependent on water availability.

Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Ramesh Singh Arora said that the current generation was to be blamed for the adverse impact of climate change that had jeopardised the future and welfare of future generations. He said that the government was leaving no stone unturned in remedying the adverse impact of climate change on food production.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA Saadia Sohail Rana said that Pakistan had to import foodstuff despite being a predominantly agrarian country due to the collective neglect of agriculture by successive governments. Rana said that there seemed to be a dearth of policy formation on water management and population control.

Officials from Oxfam and the Indus Consortium also addressed the ceremony. A number of people from all walks of life attended the event.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2014.