ISLAMABAD, March 04 (EPI): The Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security & Research met at Parliament House, Islamabad, under the chairmanship of Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan.<\/p>\n
The meeting was attended by Senators Rahat Jamali, Sardar Al-Haj Muhammad Umer Gorgaij, and Danesh Kumar.<\/p>\n
The Committee was briefed on fifteen development projects of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research included in PSDP 2026\u201327, with a total estimated cost of over Rs. 20.5 billion.<\/p>\n
The Ministry informed the Committee that Phase-II of the Olive Value Chain Project will be completed by June 2026, after which Phase-III will commence. The next phase aims to establish cluster-based commercial olive orchards on 40,000 acres and graft 300,000 wild olive trees, along with providing comprehensive training to farmers.<\/p>\n
The Committee was also briefed on the establishment of a Digital and Precision Agriculture Mechanization Facility at NARC to replace outdated, manually operated systems with modern technology.<\/p>\n
Projects related to livestock & Horticulture development were discussed, including initiative for improving indigenous breeds and disease control, and a Rs. 8,000 million project for the development and export of camel milk powder in Balochistan and Thar.<\/p>\n
The Ministry further presented projects on strengthening the National Agri-Food Laboratory network (Rs. 490 million), expanding cotton cultivation in potential districts of Balochistan (Rs. 808.250 million), building reference genomes and AI-driven crop improvement (Rs. 786.816 million), and establishing a Controlled Atmosphere storage facility for fruits in Gilgit-Baltistan under a public-private partnership model.<\/p>\n
Additional initiatives include the National Bio-Fertilizer and Composting Program, sustainable livestock development with grazing area rehabilitation, a Seed Potato Production and Supply Centre to reduce reliance on imported seed by up to 80 percent, and the National Crop Diversification & Import Substitution Program (Oilseeds) to enhance domestic edible oil production.<\/p>\n
The Committee was also briefed on value-added livestock products from yaks in Gilgit-Baltistan, the up-gradation of the Date Palm Research Institute, Khairpur, and the establishment of a state-of-the-art slaughterhouse and wholesale meat market in Islamabad, for which land has been allocated in Sector I-11\/4.<\/p>\n
The Committee admitted the report in relation to the budgetary proposals made for the province of Baluchistan in the PSDP 2026-27 submitted by Senator Sardar Muhammad Umar Gorgaij.<\/p>\n
The Chairman took serious notice of the absence of the Director General, National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority (NAFSA), and directed him to explain his position at the next meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"