ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research Senator Masroor Ahsan has declared floods as a national disaster, calling upon the government to declare the affected regions as disaster-hit areas.

Chairing a meeting of the committee that reviewed a range of pressing national food security issues, Senator Ahsan urged the government to assist flood affected people through BISP.

In a briefing on the recent flood devastation, officials from the Ministry of National Food Security informed that 2.5 million acres of agricultural land across all provinces have been damaged while 7pc of Punjab and KP’s agricultural land was severely affected.

They said KP alone suffered damage to 3.5 million acres. It was informed that the worst-hit crops include rice, sugarcane, and maize in Punjab.

Senator Masroor Ahsan directed all stakeholders to submit their formal recommendations before the next session.

The committee also addressed growing concerns over inter-provincial wheat supply restrictions.

Senator Aimal Wali Khan questioned the wheat shortage in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, arguing that the province’s share is being unfairly withheld.

Senator Danesh Kumar supported the concern, stating that people in Balochistan face the same discrimination.

Senator Ahsan strongly appealed to uphold Article 151 of the Constitution, which guaranteed free trade among provinces.

“Trade and commerce must flow freely between provinces. These restrictions are unconstitutional and go against national integrity,” he asserted.

The chairman of the Rice Exporters’Association, who also attended the meeting, voiced grave concerns over the steep decline in Basmati rice exports due to interrupted shipments to EU countries.

Senator Danesh Kumar highlighted that exports were being halted due to restrictive policies.

One of the top concerns discussed was the non-compliance with the committee’s earlier directions regarding the appointment of Director General of Plant Protection (DPP).

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2025