Agriculture woes: Alarm bells ring for food security concerns

Speakers say pulses production decreasing.

FAISALABAD: As a developing country, Pakistan struggles to meet several basic needs and food security remains one of them. With production of pulses decreasing in the country, the concern was raised by speakers at the international seminar titled, “Innovative strategies for enhancing production of food legumes”.

The seminar was arranged by the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and saw the participation of several leading experts including Prof Dr Kadambot Siddique from University of Western Australia.



Dr Siddique stressed on the need for innovative strategies for enhancing production of food legumes. “There is a requirement to devise and apply more eco-based approaches in managing the issue of malnutrition,” said Dr Siddique. “The world is facing new challenges due to changing weather patterns and a lack of essential inputs is a serious concern for the country.”

UAF Faculty of Agriculture Dean Prof Dr Muhammad Arshad said that pulses could be grown on relatively less fertile land and require less water. “However, this source of food has largely been ignored by farmers,” said Arshad. “The issue of the farming community must be addressed through research work to fight agricultural challenges effectively.”

Agriculture Research Director General Dr Abid Mehmood said that the country was facing challenges including food insecurity, malnutrition and low productivity.        

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th,  2015.

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