Imran Khan warns Pakistan could face food insecurity if farmers' concerns not addressed

Islamabad: Pakistan could face food insecurity if the coalition government didn't address the concerns of farmers and the agriculture sector, PTI Chairman Imran Khan warned Monday.

"There's a danger to all of us. If special attention is not paid to farmers' conditions then Pakistan could face problems of food security in the future," the former prime minister said whileaddressing a farmers' convention in Islamabad.

Linking the food security to the country's security itself, he said the issue was not limited to Pakistan but a matter of global concern as the Russia-Ukraine war had impacted wheat supply and prices.

"People are afraid that there will be famines due to how wheat supply has been affected from that war."

However, he said, Pakistan was "fortunate" since it had the natural resources, conditions and opportunities to become a country that could substantially increase its wealth on the basis of agriculture alone.

Highlighting the problems faced by farmers, he said the cost of their inputs was increasing due to recent fuel and power price increases.

The PTI chairman talked about his government's performance in the agriculture sector and said its main focus was to help farmers, recalling that it was part of the PTI's manifesto.

He said the country couldn't develop until the government paid attention to agriculture, adding that Pakistan was reliant on the agricultural sector until the industrial sector was more strongly established.

Elaborating on his government's measures, such as subsidies, to support farmers, Imran talked about the high yields for different crops during his tenure.

Khan went on to say that the economic performance of the current government so far had increased inflation.

The PTI leader alleged that the PML-N-led government's purpose was not to serve the people but to take care of its leaders' interests and to follow the orders of the United States.

He was of the view that farmers across the world were given targetted subsidies as compensation to their input costs, asking the coalition governemnt to announce subsidies for farmers.