Peshawar – Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Saturday stated that the provincial government is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to achieve food self-sufficiency and will enhance funding for the food sector in the upcoming budget. Addressing a ceremony held at the Chief Minister’s House to mark World Food Safety Day, organized by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority, he said relevant departments have already been directed to implement measures aimed at strengthening food security across the province.
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The Chief Minister expressed confidence that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would achieve self-sufficiency in several key sectors by 2030. He announced that the forthcoming provincial budget would include increased allocations for the Food Department as well as the construction of modern, technology-driven wheat storage facilities to reduce post-harvest losses and improve food management. Emphasizing the importance of food safety, he said greater public awareness of safe food practices and responsible consumption behavior is essential. He added that the establishment of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority has significantly improved access to safe and healthy food for consumers.
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Referring to challenges facing the province, Mr. Afridi alleged that Punjab had suspended wheat supplies to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and claimed that repeated requests from the provincial government had not received a satisfactory response. He also criticized what he described as a lack of federal support for key development projects. According to the Chief Minister, the provincial government had allocated Rs3 billion for the Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC) project, while no corresponding federal allocation had been made. He said the federal government had initially committed to financing 80 percent of the project’s cost before reducing its share to 65 percent, but had yet to release any funds. He maintained that the project’s timely completion is vital for agricultural development, food self-sufficiency and long-term food security through the irrigation of vast tracts of cultivable land.
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The Chief Minister further stated that the provincial government had provided bridge financing of Rs4 billion for the Northern Bypass Project. He said the Peshawar Bus Terminal had been completed but remained non-operational because the National Highway Authority had yet to issue the required No Objection Certificate (NOC). He added that a dam project in Swat was ready for inauguration but remained stalled pending federal approval for the visit of foreign engineers associated with the scheme. Expressing concern over what he termed discriminatory treatment towards Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Afridi reiterated that provinces producing natural gas have the first constitutional right to utilize it. He claimed that although the province produces more than 500 million cubic feet of natural gas per day (MMCFD), local consumption stands at around 150 MMCFD.
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He alleged that restrictions on gas supplies have adversely affected households across the province and said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continue to bear the consequences of what he described as flawed federal policies. Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Food Dr. Muhammad Israr, the Secretary Food and the Director General of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority also addressed the ceremony.
