ANTALYA: Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain on Thursday said the government was taking various measures to strengthen the resilience of Pakistan's agriculture sector against climate change, with a focus on developing climateresilient seeds, improving disaster preparedness and mitigating the impact of extreme weather events.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Leaders' Summit of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the minister said agriculture was among the sectors most severely affected by climate change in Pakistan, posing a major challenge to food security and agricultural productivity.
He said Pakistan's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions was only around 0.1 percent, yet the country remained highly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
He stressed that international financial support was essential to help developing and climate-vulnerable countries address these challenges.
The minister said the government was focusing on developing and introducing climate-resilient seed varieties to enable farmers to cope with rising temperatures, heat stress and other climate-related challenges. He added that considerable progress had been made in developing improved seeds to minimise the adverse impact of changing climatic conditions on agricultural production.
Referring to recurring floods, including the devastating floods of 2022 and 2025, Rana Tanveer said the government was also strengthening disaster preparedness and early warning mechanisms to minimise losses to agriculture and communities.
He appreciated the efforts of local governments, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs) for establishing effective early warning systems and taking measures to improve the country's capacity to respond to climate-induced disasters.
The minister said that although the government was undertaking substantial efforts at the domestic level to address climate challenges, international cooperation and financial assistance remained indispensable.-NNI
