As we look to the future, I am confident that with continued dedication, innovation, and collaboration, we will be able to overcome the challenges of hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity.

 *Message of the Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on World Food Day*

(16th October 2024)

By Imtiaz Ali Abbasi. World Foods day recalls us of our duty of ensuring food security for our people. This years' theme of world food day is  "Right to foods for a better life and a better future.”   On this World Food Day, we reaffirm our commitment towards ensuring food security, sustainable agriculture, and the well-being of our people.

Our farmers are the backbone of the food system, who with their  dedication and hard work, ensure that we have enough to eat. We are committed in supporting them with policies that focus on innovation, sustainability, and modernization in the agricultural sector. Our government is facilitating  farmers to equip themselves with the technology they need to thrive in today’s world, including access to modern agricultural machines, improved infrastructure, and better market access.

Our government has undertaken significant steps to transform our food system. Through initiatives such as the introduction of new agri-tech solutions, and efforts to boost food processing and storage, we aim to reduce food waste, enhance food safety, and ensure that our food systems are resilient in the face of global challenges.

We are promoting and facilitating support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the food processing sector. Our focus is the empowering the  rural women entrepreneurs, who form a key component of our rural economy, to ensure that they also actively participate  in this sector. Our vision is to integrate Pakistan into the global food value chain by fostering public-private partnerships, encouraging foreign investment, and promoting export-oriented growth in agriculture and food processing.

On this day, we also recognize the importance of working closely with international partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), to exchange knowledge, best practices, and innovations that can help us all move toward a society where food is not only abundant but also safe, nutritious, and sustainably produced.

As we look to the future, I am confident that with continued dedication, innovation, and collaboration, we will be able to overcome the challenges of  hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity. 

Let us work together to build a society where farmers are supported and facilitated to adopt sustainable agricultural practices so that everyone has access to nutritious food, and we are also able to ensure food security for our future generations.