No national security unless food security in country: Speakers.

ISLAMABAD -- National security cannot be guaranteed unless there is food security in Pakistan. Urgent attention needs to be given towards reforming and modernising the agriculture sector as well as controlling population growth. This was the key message of the eminent speakers at a seminar on 'Food Security for Pakistan' organised by the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS) in Islamabad. Syed Fakhar Imam, Former Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research was the keynote speaker, while other eminent speakers included Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad; Ashfaq Mahmood, former Federal Secretary for Water and Power; and Ambassador Shafqat Kakakhel, Chairman Board of Governors, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad. The seminar was concluded by President CASS Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan (Retd), while Dr Zia Ul Haque Shamsi Director at CASS moderated the proceedings. Dr Zia Ul Haque Shamsi, while delivering the opening remarks, highlighted that Pakistan being the fifth largest state in the world, and a predominantly agri-based society, unfortunately faces serious concerns of food insecurity for various reasons. This was especially concerning because while efforts were in hand to improve farming processes through modern methods, better seeds development, and resource management, Pakistan still had a long way to go in ensuring food security for its growing population at an affordable cost, he said. In his keynote address on 'Role of Agriculture Sector and Food Security in Pakistan', Syed Fakhar Imam pointed out that national security, international security, and food security were all interlinked and could not be divorced from each other. He lamented that of the five major crops, wheat was grown on 36% of the land which was where the problem lay. Sadly, Pakistan had failed to evolve high-yield crop varieties. Mr Imam argued that despite having five major agri-universities and affiliated colleges, they were not at par with international standards and had out-dated curriculum. In his view, population explosion was also a major reason why Pakistan had become an importer of wheat. According to the speaker, mechanisation, modernisation, agricultural extension, human resource development and research were key for strengthening the agro-economy of Pakistan. Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri underlined that triple-C Crises; 'COVID, Conflict and Climate Change' were...