A national dialogue on “Sustainable Food Security in Pakistan” was organized by the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore here at City Campus Lahore.
A national dialogue on “Sustainable Food Security in Pakistan” was organized by the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore here at City Campus Lahore.
The discussion was co-chaired by UVAS Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Nasim Ahmad and Professor Dr. Kauser Abdullah Malik, who sought recommendations, suggestions, and technical input from participants regarding the main issues facing food security, institutional arrangements to address these issues for long-term food security in Pakistan.
Prof. Dr. Talat Naseer Pasha, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education in Lahore, and Vice-Chancellor of the MNS University of Agriculture in Multan Professor Dr. Asif Ali, Professor Dr. Muhammad Sajjad Khan of the Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Bahawalpur, Chairman of the Four Brothers Group Engr.
Javed Saleem Qureshi, and numerous other participants from the public and private sectors of the nation, including academics, researchers, and industry experts from the poultry and dairy industries, took part in the discussion.
Prof. Dr. Nasim Ahmad, who was speaking at the event of “Sustainable Food Security in Pakistan”, stated that UVAS organized this debate in conjunction with the food security consortium that had been established by the Chancellor/Governor of Punjab to address challenges related to food security in the nation.
The national conversation, according to him, was intended to bring together stakeholders from many sectors to talk about and find solutions to our nation’s problems with food security.
In order to secure food security for all residents, he added, conversation attempts to foster collaboration, exchange expertise, and discover workable solutions. He said that UVAS is acting as a think tank and troubleshooter to address problems in the dairy, poultry, and cattle industries.
According to Prof. Dr. Kauser Abdullah Malik, the agriculture sector is the foundation of our nation and urgent action must be taken to create farmer-friendly laws, as well as political backing and administrative stability.
Dr. M. Naveed-ul-Haque, Chairman of the Department of Animal Nutrition, previously provided a thorough analysis of Pakistan’s present situation with regard to food security.
All the parties involved made a number of recommendations regarding seed, soil, fertilizer, genetics, raw material prices, human resources, storage, food safety, population growth, rangeland, dietary diversification, waste management, price capping of commodities, climate change, and agricultural governance.
They recommended beginning work on crop diversification, maintaining records of import and export products, aggressively working on agriculturally neglected area, and composting organic waste.
They suggested developing both long- and short-term seed security strategies, raising knowledge about high-quality seed, and promoting maize and millet.
They proposed developing storage to reduce post-harvest losses and aggressively working on agricultural marketing to address marketing concerns. Additionally, they advocated for the start of efforts to combat climate change, reduce water pollution, stop the overuse of chemicals, and demand that all necessities, including processed meat, be exempt from taxation.