Islamabad:
The president of the National Committee for Research and Investigation of the National Food Security Committee, Syed Masroor Ahsan, declared that recent floods are a national disaster and asked the Government to officially designate the affected areas as affected by the disaster.
In addition, he urged immediate assistance to the victims through the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP).
The Senate Committee, under the presidency of Senator Ahsan, met to review a wide range of urgent national food security concerns.
The president of the Rice Exporters Association gave alarm due to the strong decrease in Basmati exports, citing interruptions in shipments to the countries of the European Union. Senator Danish Kumar also criticized the restrictive government policies and said: “Policies must support the economy and exporters.”
The Committee decided to consult all the key interested parties before the end of the National Ordinance of Agricultural Food Security (NAFSA). Senator Ahsan ordered the interested parties to present their recommendations before the next session.
Devastation of floods
Officials of the Ministry of Food Security reported that the floods had damaged 2.5 million acres of cultivation land throughout the country.
In Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 7% of agricultural lands were severely affected, while KP only lost 3.5 million acres. The most affected crops include rice, sugar cane and corn on Punjab.
Declaging floods as a national tragedy, Senator Ahsan said: “The heartbreaking floods caused great devastation, damaged crops worth millions.”
He reiterated his government demand to declare affected areas affected by disaster and provide BISP cash assistance immediately.
The Committee also discussed interprovincial restrictions on wheat supply. Senator Aimal Wali Khan protested by shortage at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying that the participation of the province was unfairly retained.
Senator Danish Kumar echoed the concern for Baluchistan, stating: “People in Baluchistan face the same discrimination. This is causing national disintegration.”
Senator Ahsan strongly appealed to maintain article 151 of the Constitution, which guarantees free trade between the provinces. “Commerce and trade must flow freely between the provinces. These restrictions are unconstitutional and go against national integrity,” he said.
Committee addresses
In short the discussion, Senator Ahsan issued several firm directions. He ordered that the notification of the DG DPP degradation be issued within 48 hours.
A subcommittee will carry out an exhaustive investigation on the consultations of the officers, while third -party audits of the operations and assignments of DPP Budgets will be carried out. Rice export concerns and the completion of the Nafsa Ordinance must follow the contribution of interested parties.
