Pakistan can save more than USD 8 billion annually on food imports by bringing more cultivable land under sugarcane and pulses, a business leader said on Sunday, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Shahid Imran, Convener of the Regional Committee on Food of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation of farmers led by Chaudhary Muhammad Asif Arain from Sahiwal.
He called on policymakers to prepare long-term agricultural plans in line with market demand to ensure steady growth in the food sector. Encouraging local cultivation, he said, would help save foreign exchange, create jobs in rural areas, support agro-based industries, and strengthen the country’s economic stability and self-reliance.
Citing recent figures from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, he noted that Pakistan’s food import bill rose to USD 5.502 billion during the first seven months of the current fiscal year. This marked a 19.27 percent increase from USD 4.613 billion in the same period last year, mainly due to higher imports of sugar and edible oil.
Imran said that despite having fertile land and favourable weather conditions, Pakistan continues to depend heavily on imported food, putting additional strain on national reserves. He said expanding the cultivation of pulses such as lentils, gram, and beans could cut import dependence and improve food security.
He added that increasing sugarcane production through better farming practices and improved seed varieties would raise domestic sugar output and help stabilise prices in the local market.
Imran also stressed the need for government support through farmer incentives, access to quality inputs, improved irrigation facilities, and awareness programmes to promote crop diversification. He said adopting modern farming methods and greater use of machinery would improve per-acre yields and raise farmers’ incomes.
