Islamabad: Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain says the Federal Government will support farmers with all possible means in the prevailing economic conditions. He was presiding over a meeting of the Federal Committee on Agriculture in Islamabad today. The Committee, mandated to oversee measures for ensuring food security in the country, noted that food availability in Pakistan is generally adequate.
According to Radio Pakistan, Rana Tanveer Hussain emphasized the need to adopt modern farming technologies, climate-smart practices, and developing efficient marketing systems to connect farmers with domestic and international markets. He highlighted that the Interim National Wheat Policy 2025-26, approved by the Federal Cabinet in November last year, is being implemented across the country to support the farmer community and encourage private sector investment in the wheat sector value chain.
Rana Tanveer Hussain stated that under the Prime Minister's Economic Transformation Agenda, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, in collaboration with provincial governments and the Green Pakistan Initiative, has developed an agriculture sector roadmap. This roadmap focuses on mechanization, seed system reforms, cotton revival, value addition, improved access to finance, and export growth.
He also mentioned that the establishment of the National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority will play a crucial role in harmonizing food safety standards, improving quality assurance, and enhancing the competitiveness of Pakistan's agricultural exports in international markets. Reviewing the performance of Rabi crops (2025-26), the Committee was informed that wheat production is estimated at 29,310 thousand tons from an area of 9,385 thousand hectares.
The Committee noted the government's prioritization of agriculture to boost the country's economy and uplift the livelihoods of the people. During the meeting, deliberations on production targets for essential Kharif crops (2026-27) led to the decision to fix a target of 9.17 million tons for rice over 3.39 million hectares and 9.77 million tons for maize over 1.5 million hectares. The production target for sugarcane was set at 80.3 million tons over an area of 1.14 million hectares, while cotton production was fixed at 9.64 million bales over an area of 2.16 million hectares. Targets for other crops such as Mung, Mash, and Chillies were also determined in the meeting.