Food safety concerns hamper exports

According to The Express Tribune, the Agri-Connections Conference and Expo takes place at Lahore Expo Center on October 1 and 2. Kazim Saeed, CEO of the Pakistan Agricultural Coalition, told reporters on Tuesday that the theme is food security and agri-investment in a changing climate. He argued that food security now concerns every household, since farmers face climate risks more often than ever before.

Saeed said Pakistan's exports are well below their potential, partly because of food safety concerns. Representatives of the FAO and the IFC are set to speak, with the IFC expected to explain how wheat moves from government administration to a deregulated sector that relies on private participation. The programme will also cover livestock, which has recently seen several IPO listings, and shrimp farming, along with presentations from firms exporting olive oil and chilled meat.

The SECP will co-host an agri-investors' roundtable with the coalition at the event. Saeed also said the federal government is building a finance system for farmers covering input purchase credit, collateral-based lending, agribusiness financing and crop insurance. He added that the State Bank is working on a farm credit framework, the SECP on crop insurance, and Punjab is expanding small-farmer credit while Sindh is drafting a legal framework for farmer groups.