By NNN-APP,
Islamabad : Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has stressed the need for ensuring food security in the country and initiating interventions to overcome the challenges of climate change and bio-energy for a progressive and sustainable agriculture sector.
In a message on World Food Day falling Oct. 16, he said this year’s theme ‘World food security: the challenges of climate change and bio-energy’ covers all main issues faced by agro-based economies.
He said World Food Day has special significance for Pakistan as agriculture plays vital role in the well-being and economic betterment of the country’s people.
“Contribution of agriculture to gross domestic product (GDP) is 21 percent and 44 percent of workforce is employed in this sector. It has been designated as the engine of national economic growth and basic instrument in achieving food security and reducing poverty,” he said.
He said the changed scenario of soaring food prices the complex supply and demand situation of commodities has created a number of difficulties in achieving food security.
“The main food grain growing countries are entering into bio energy regime and creating a divide between countries striving for food security and countries ensuring energy security through bio-energy,” he said.
Zardari termed the situation upsetting as the worldwide growth in bio energy was transforming huge quantities of food grains into bio-fuel production.
“As a result, the food grain and livestock products have experienced unprecedented price hike, placing food-importing countries on disadvantage. Continuing rising trend in the energy prices has further aggravated this situation,” he said.
He said climate change had emerged as a grave challenge to sustainability of agricultural production and achieving food security. Drought cycles and erratic change in temperatures has badly affected the performance of crops and livestock sub-sectors.
He said last year’s wheat crop was affected by the incidence of frost at earlier stage of crop growth and high temperature stress at the crop maturity and grain formation stages causing production losses.
“This situation indicates that without addressing climate change issues the sustainability of agricultural production and ensuring food security would remain inaccessible,” he added.
Zardari said FAO deserves appreciation for highlighting the key areas of concern first by holding the high level conference on ‘World food security: the challenges of climate change and bio-energy’ held in Rome on June 3-5 June, 2008.