TOBA TEK SINGH: Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS) Director General Yerlan A Baidaulat says that food insecurity challenges affect the majority of member states within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Addressing an Afghanistan Agri Business Forum (AABF) meeting at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad on Thursday, he said Afghanistan, in particular, had experienced profound food insecurity and it was poised to become one of the most populous countries in the region in coming decade, making it imperative for it to address the food security challenges.

Mr Baidaulat said food security was a critical issue that resonated not only within the Islamic world but also at the global level.

He said the IOFS had been tasked with an important mission by the OIC and in the context of the implementation of its mandate on the Afghanistan Food Security Programme (AFSP), several initiatives had been undertaken.

These initiatives included execution of various projects, including donating water purifiers to needy communities in the rural areas, designing and strategising relief-to-development programmes such as sustainable livelihood interventions, implementation of quick impact projects, aimed at promoting agricultural self-sufficiency and income generation among the households, he said.

“These projects focus on agricultural mechanisation and introduction of improved agricultural technologies, including quality seeds, fertilisers, agricultural machinery, and post-harvest technologies.”

Mr Baidaulat said that approximately 58pc of the Afghanistan land was arable, totaling nearly 37,910 hectares. Given that 76pc of Afghans resided and worked in rural areas, agriculture played a pivotal role in their country’s economic landscape. The agribusiness sector, in particular, had the capacity to become one of the leading contributors to the Afghan economy.

He said the IOFS was overseeing 16 strategic programmes aimed at improving food security in the IOFS/IOC member countries and expanding cooperation in agriculture, rural development and trade.

UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said knowledge had no boundaries and coordinated efforts should be made to address the issue of food security. He said that Pakistan was self-sufficient in some crops but on the other hand, it imported edible.

Co-President Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry Khan Jan Alokazi said there were a lot of opportunities in the agriculture sector in Afghanistan. He stressed the need to shift conventional agriculture to modern agriculture in the country for which UAF should cooperate with it.

Prof Dr Khalid Mushtaq said the agriculture sector was directly linked with poverty alleviation and called for innovative ideas to cope with the challenges.

Prof Dr Asif Kamran, Dr Abdul Ghafoor, Dr Hammad Badar, Syed Saad Ali Pahsa, Prof Dr Jafar Jaskani and Khasima Muazin also spoke.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2023