Islamabad: Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has emphasized that providing short-term, medium- and long-term relief to farmers is the government’s foremost priority. He was addressing the first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Agriculture and Climate/Flood Emergencies held in Islamabad.

According to Radio Pakistan, Ahsan Iqbal stated that the 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. The Minister particularly highlighted the urgency of supplying canola seeds to farmers within the next fifteen days, leveraging the soil moisture left by the floods.

Ahsan Iqbal instructed the formation of three dedicated task forces, in consultation with concerned Federal Ministries and Provincial Governments. These task forces are expected to prepare detailed reports within fifteen days. The reports will focus on immediate agricultural relief and provision of seeds, addressing climate change impacts and resilience strategies, and strengthening infrastructure to be climate-resilient.

He stressed on developing a long-term policy framework to ensure food security, resilience, and sustainable growth in the country’s economic agriculture sector. The meeting was attended by Minister for Climate Change Musaddiq Malik, Minister for Power Awais Leghari, Minister for Housing and Works Mian Riaz Hussain, and provincial agriculture and finance ministers.