The government has decided to increase the development budget of the Ministry of National Food Security in the coming financial year by spending an additional 3.71 billion. This increase will see the food security budget increase from $8.85 billion to $12.56 billion.
The new budget allocation includes funding for new and ongoing projects aimed at improving the country’s food security. Specifically, $1.95 billion was spent on 13 food security projects, while $10.61 billion will be devoted to the continuation of 21 existing projects.
Key projects receiving funding include:
Control of foot-and-mouth disease: $400 million has been allocated for the initial phase of the project to control foot-and-mouth disease in animals, at a total cost of $4.15 billion.
Improving water channels: A major project with a total budget of $47 billion will receive $4 billion next year to improve water channel infrastructure.
Olive Cultivation: $1 billion will be invested in commercial olive cultivation.
Agricultural Projects: $700 million is allocated for new projects to increase agricultural employment opportunities.
Reservoirs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: $600 million will be spent on water storage projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Trout Farming: $200 million has been allocated to support trout farming in the northern region.
Increase cotton production: A new project to increase cotton production will receive $190 million.
Seed quality tracking and tracing system: $127.8 million has been allocated to implement a tracking system to improve seed quality.
Control and treatment of animal diseases: $100 million will go towards the control and treatment of various animal diseases.
Locust Emergency Management: Surprisingly, $10 million has been allocated for a $4 billion project to deal with the locust emergency.
This budget development reflects the government’s commitment to strengthening the country’s food security infrastructure, addressing critical agricultural challenges and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
