The initiative has significantly reduced human intervention, improved traceability and minimized systemic gaps.
ISLAMABAD:
The federal government has launched wide-ranging reforms to make food and agricultural governance more transparent, digital and publicly accountable, with a focus on curbing corruption, limiting discretionary powers and strengthening import and export controls, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research said on Sunday.
In a statement, the ministry said 22 of its 31 registrations, licenses, certificates and permits had been fully automated under a digitization drive implemented in six attached departments dealing with plants, animals and seeds. The initiative has significantly reduced human intervention, improved traceability and minimized systemic gaps.
According to the statement, National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain underlined the need for a rules-based system, verifiable decision-making and stronger inter-agency coordination as core pillars of the reform agenda.
As part of the reform, the Plant Protection Department was modernized, laboratory capacity was improved, operational controls were strengthened and systems were aligned with international phytosanitary standards to strengthen biosecurity and protect the credibility of Pakistan’s exports.
