DLP Report
PESHAWAR
The Standing Committee of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Agriculture has called for effective legislation to protect agricultural lands and ensure its strict enforcement.
The meeting of the committee held here on Thursday with MPA Muhammad Abdul Salam in the chair, expressed serious concern over the rapid conversion of agricultural land into housing societies in KP.
The forum emphasized that rapid urbanization and unplanned utilization of the agricultural lands in the province has endangered the country’s food security and must be stopped immediately. “The unchecked expansion of urban settlements is swallowing our fertile agricultural land. If not curbed, this trend could lead to future food shortages,” warned members of the committee.
Chairman Abdul Salam announced that the committee’s recommendations would soon be presented to the Assembly to help form a comprehensive and practical policy on the issue.
The meeting was attended by Provincial Minister for Agriculture Muhammad Sajjad Barakwal and MPAs Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani, Ali Shah, Khalid Khan, Mian Sharafat Ali, Iftikhar Ali Mashwani, Ikramullah Ghazi, Zarshad Khan, and Hamidur Rehman.
During the meeting , the performance of the Agriculture Department and the progress of ongoing projects were reviewed in detail.
Members highlighted the challenges and opportunities in the sector, describing agriculture as the backbone of Pakistan’s economy.
The committee also stressed the need to modernize the sector by equipping farmers with training, subsidies, and access to new technology to improve productivity and move beyond outdated farming methods.
