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ISLAMABAD, Oct 6 (APP):Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Monday emphasized that providing short-term, medium-term, and long-term relief to farmers remains the government’s foremost priority to ensure agricultural sustainability and rural prosperity.
The minister was chairing the first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Agriculture and Climate/Flood Emergencies, which was constituted by the Prime Minister, with Ahsan Iqbal as its convener.
“Provincial governments, in partnership with the federal government, must take swift steps to ensure that affected farmers are compensated and supported for the upcoming Rabi season,” he stressed.
The minister particularly underlined the urgency of supplying canola seeds to farmers within the next 15 days, taking advantage of the soil moisture left behind by the floods.
“I have arranged a 5,000-acre canola seed pilot project in Narowal through corporate sponsorship, because we cannot afford to lose time. This is a moment for urgent action—we must not waste it,” he said.
Ahsan Iqbal further stated that the time has come to look beyond traditional crops and focus on diversifying towards high-value crops such as canola, which not only promises higher returns for farmers but also has greater demand in the market.
He also pointed out the importance of extending interest-free loan schemes for farmers through financial institutions and stressed the need to gradually move towards private insurance mechanisms to protect farmers from recurrent climate shocks.
The Minister directed to establish three dedicated task forces, in consultation with concerned Federal Ministries and Provincial Governments. These task forces will prepare detailed reports within 15 days covering immediate agricultural relief and provision of seeds; climate change impacts and resilience strategies; and strengthening infrastructure to make it climate-resilient.
These reports will be presented to the Prime Minister for final consideration, he added.
Climate Change is no longer a one-time phenomenon; floods, droughts, and other climate shocks are becoming a permanent feature of our environment. We must, therefore, build a long-term policy framework to ensure food security, resilience, and sustainable growth in our economic agriculture sector,” the Minister remarked.
Member Infrastructure Waqas Anwar briefed the committee on its purpose, highlighting that it has been established to formulate, in collaboration with provincial governments, an agricultural support package to provide immediate relief to farmers affected by the recent floods.
He further explained that the Committee will also design a medium-term package to ensure fair returns to farmers, holistically review the impact of climate change on Pakistan’s productive sectors—particularly agriculture, livestock, agro-based industries, and exports—and develop joint strategies with provincial governments to build resilience and sustainability in these vulnerable sectors.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Climate Change Musaddiq Malik, Federal Minister for Power Awais Leghari, Federal Minister for Housing & Works Mian Riaz Hussain, provincial agriculture and finance ministers, senior officials from the Planning Commission, Climate Change Division, Water Management, and other relevant departments.