Islamabad, 19 May 2022 (TDI): The Ambassador of Germany to Pakistan, Bernhard Stephan Schlagheck met the Federal Minister of National Food Security, Tariq Bashir Cheema.
During the meeting, Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema stated that Pakistan ought to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of the EU countries in terms of the modernization of agriculture as well as the upgradation of value addition in agricultural products.
Along these lines, the Federal Minister reiterated that Pakistan is importing 3 MMT wheat so as to amply supply wheat for local consumption. He shared that Pakistan is pre-emptively taking every possible measure to guarantee adequate wheat supply for the country.
In addition, Tariq Bashir Cheema also welcomed the Ambassador along with praising the European Union (EU) for being one of the leading regions of the world.
In the same vein, he reiterated that the EU had only 5.8% of the world’s population. However, the region generates 18% of international GDP, standing at the US $17 trillion.
The two sides also deliberated upon the issues of food security in Pakistan. Minister Cheema pointed out that a wholesome approach was the need of the hour to boost the working circumstances of the farmers.
Moreover, Pakistani agriculture has been teetering along with conventional agricultural practices. Nevertheless, it is imperative that Pakistan starts modernizing its agriculture sector for future success.
Aside from that, the Pakistani Federal Minister shared that there were issues that needed to be addressed on an emergency basis.
These issues are related to the choice of seeds, quality of soil, as well as quality and cost of input, that need to be focused on emergency basis.
Lastly, the Minister stated that value addition was one of the basic problems that needed to be addressed in the agriculture sector. Both officials agreed to boost bilateral collaboration for mutual benefit.
The meeting was also attended by the Secretary of National Food Security Captain (retired) Muhammad Asif, SJS Javed Humayun as well as the Technical Adviser Dr. Akmal Siddique.
