Prime Minister Imran Khan has termed food security as the biggest challenge in the future, reported 24News HD TV channel on Thursday. 

Addressing the National Kissan Convention in Islamabad, the PM said we have to start preparations to deal with food security from now, saying it had become a matter of national security for Pakistan. He said that a nation which under malnutrition cannot progress. “We have to take steps to counter the issue and to meet the challenges ahead. It is unsustainable for the country to keep on going like this,” he said.

He said that the purpose of the Kissan convention was to give the right direction to the farmers.

He said Pakistan had to import 4 million tonnes of wheat last year to meet a shortfall. “The expense of that was paid in foreign exchange, in a country that is already facing a shortage of dollars,” the PM said. He questioned how we would meet the need of an increasing population in the next 10 to 15 years. “It was necessary to raise awareness about food security and Pakistan should start taking measures to tackle the problem from today,” he added.

The PM said that the state of Madinah was the first to help the lower class while China was the first to lift 700 million people out of poverty in 35 years. He said China helped small farmers to develop the country, we should have helped our small farmers first.