ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz have pledged the commitment of the government to achieve food security for all. In their messages on the World Food Day, they said: “We are thankful to the international community and the UN agencies which, within no time, have provided assistance to Pakistan after the earthquake which struck the country on October 8.”

The president, in his message, said: “I take this opportunity to appeal to the United Nations and all other international organizations to donate generously. We are facing a national calamity and need all the help that we can get.”

“I appreciate the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations for promotion of agriculture across cultures, nations and civilizations and its drive to reduce hunger, malnutrition and poverty in the world.”

The president said: “In Pakistan, we have been able to establish crop maximization programme for food security with the FAO support, which has received worldwide recognition.”

The theme selected for the World Food Day this year is “Agriculture and Intercultural Dialogue”, which is very innovative, manifesting an effective and dynamic process for agricultural development.

Pakistan actively participates in all international and regional seminars, workshops and meetings to take part in intercultural dialogue and benefit from the experience and findings of other nations.

“It also provides us an access to new and innovative recent findings, techniques, approaches, visions, and solutions to various problems and thus helps accelerate the tempo of agriculture development,” the president said.

Every region and culture has contributed to world agriculture and civilization. Africa gave the world coffee — now a popular beverage worldwide. Similarly, maize originating from the Americas, now feeds much of Africa’s population. These are but two examples of intercultural exchange and contribution towards agriculture development.

In his message, the prime minister said globalization and new means of communications available at low cost had promoted closer bilateral, multilateral, inter-regional and international dialogue among individuals, groups, organizations, nations, cultures and civilizations at all levels.

These developments have had a bearing on all economic sectors in Pakistan, including agriculture.

Modern day agriculture, he said, was the culmination of a historical process based on demographic movements, technological innovations and evolving trade relationships within and between civilization and regions. Sharing of genetic resources, biodiversity, knowledge and technologies has become pre-eminent between nations resulting in an interdependent polity. In the modern world, a dialogue among different cultures is necessary to maintain and utilize these resources and related information for food security and sustainable agricultural development.

In his message, Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sikandar

Hayat Bosan said agriculture sector in Pakistan made up one-fourth of the Gross Domestic Product of the country and absorbed 37.5 per cent of the labour force.

Agriculture product exports represent 70 per cent of national exports earnings and the sector provides 65 per cent raw materials for the manufacturing sectors.

The thrust of national policy in Pakistan is on promotion of agriculture as an engine for national economic growth and poverty reduction.