ISLAMABAD: Speakers at the Breathe Pakistan Climate Change Conference 2026 stressed that agriculture was the most vulnerable sector to climate change.

They were speaking at a session titled, “Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Resilience”, of the two-day event, organised by DawnMedia in the federal capital.

Chief Executive Officer of the Green Pakistan Initiative, Major Gen Shahid Nazir, suggested a National Cooperative Policy to address challenges and ensure self-reliance in agricultural products.

Gen Shahid Nazir said that the biggest challenge was climate change. “There are unprecedented weather changes, as sometimes we get excessive rains and sometimes no rains. We want to convert our deserts into green areas. We have many models being practised across the globe. We have to produce much more than what we have been producing,” he added.

He said farmers were feeding the entire nation and should be educated and facilitated. “The most important thing is that they should have collaboration,” he said.

Keynote speaker Dr Zeelaf Munir, Managing Director and CEO of English Biscuit Manufacturers, said she was highly concerned about the future of food in Pakistan.

“The war in Iran has not only increased fuel prices but has also affected fertiliser supplies. On the other hand, floods and droughts have badly affected crops. Ask any farmer, and he will tell you that seasons no longer arrive on time,” she said.

Dr Zeelaf Munir said Pakistan was the world’s eighth-largest producer of agricultural products but was still importing wheat, and the quantity would increase year by year.

She warned that while food insecurity was currently a problem of the poor, it could become a problem for everyone.

“Why can we not become a food basket for the region, and why have we failed to encourage foreign investors? We cannot reverse climate change, but we can equip our farmers to deal with it. Moreover, while 93 per cent of freshwater is used in agriculture, we need to introduce technology to conserve water,” she suggested.

Progressive farmer and agri-consultant Hasan Khurrum Hanif said climate change had directly affected farmers and created uncertainty in their business models.

“Crop yield has been reduced by 10 to 15 per cent due to weather. One year we face heatwaves and the next year rains,” he said.

Hamza Kamal, Head of Marketing at Syngenta Pakistan, said climate change was affecting soil health and suggested adopting precision agriculture and customised fertilisers according to soil conditions.

He said predictability was more important than productivity and suggested that the government should allow the private sector to play a greater role in the agriculture sector.

Usman Zaheer Ahmad, Chairman of the Pakistan Dairy Association and CEO of Fauji Foods, said that in Pakistan the average milk production per animal was 3.8 litres, compared to 6 litres in the region and 22 litres in Europe.

He said that if Pakistan reached the regional average, the country could add over Rs7 trillion to its GDP.

“About 98 per cent of dairy products are sold through the informal sector. The supply chain needs to be formalised,” he suggested.

James Robert Okoth, Acting Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Pakistan, said Morocco faced water scarcity similar to Balochistan but had overcome the problem.

Coco Ushiyama, Country Representative for Pakistan at the World Food Programme (WFP), said there was a need to build resilience to climate shocks. However, she added that Pakistan was taking positive steps and other countries could learn from its experience.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2026