Punjab decides to bring all 23 testing labs under PAFDA

Punjab government has decided to place all 23 testing laboratories of the food, agriculture and health departments under the unified management of the newly created Punjab Agriculture, Food and Drugs Authority (PAFDA).
Dr Talat Naseer Pasha, Director General of PAFDA, told Wealth Pakistan that in the first phase all existing laboratories of the allied departments would be taken over and upgraded according to international benchmarks, with efforts also underway to secure accreditation from national and global standard-setting organisations.
He said the authority would also establish a central testing laboratory equipped with advanced facilities to cater to multiple economic sectors at the same time. He expressed optimism that the authority’s entire testing and regulatory functions would become fully operational by early next year.
He said the long-term vision is for PAFDA to evolve into an internationally recognised conformance and compliance body by 2035 in areas including food, pharmaceuticals, agricultural inputs, feed and cosmetics. He said this transformation is expected to support Pakistan’s export growth, cut foreign testing costs and strengthen public health.
Dr Pasha noted that the authority’s planned functions would also contribute to safer consumer products, reduced foreign exchange losses, faster export procedures through internationally accepted certifications and a stronger applied research environment for both academia and industry.
He said all laboratory processes under the authority would adhere to standards followed by leading certification bodies, including the USFDA, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).
Experts have described the establishment of PAFDA as an encouraging step for Pakistan’s economy. Dr Kausar Abdullah Malik, a senior scientist and former interim federal minister for food security and research, told Wealth Pakistan that the authority is expected to improve the safety of food and medicines while reducing adulteration in agricultural inputs.
He said PAFDA possesses the capability and facilities required to carry out its mandate effectively. He added that the authority’s oversight of existing laboratories would help ensure that these facilities are used efficiently and fulfil the objectives for which they were created.