NA body reviews Potato crop crisis,Mango export strategy

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Jul, 2026) The 28th meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research was held on Wednesday in Committee Room No. 7, Parliament House, Islamabad, under the chairmanship of Syed Tariq Hussain, MNA. The proceedings commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by the confirmation of the minutes of the previous meeting.

The Committee took up Agenda Item No. III, relating to the Point of Order on the Potato Crop Crisis. The Ministry informed the Committee that, in compliance with its earlier directions, 101 companies were registered with the Russian Federation on 7 July 2026 to facilitate potato exports following the lifting of the earlier import restrictions.

The Ministry expressed confidence that the registrations would significantly enhance potato exports during the forthcoming season while protecting farmers from financial losses.

The Committee directed the Ministry to take immediate measures to export the existing surplus potato stock to the Russian market to ensure farmers receive fair and remunerative prices.

During the briefing, the Ministry informed the Committee that the area under potato cultivation had increased from 177,700 hectares in 2015–16 to 462,160 hectares in 2025–26.

However, the Committee directed the Ministry to furnish verified and authenticated data for its consideration.

To improve national food security and institutional coordination, the Committee recommended the establishment of a centralized inter-ministerial and inter-provincial coordination cell at the Federal level to strengthen collaboration on food security, regulatory oversight, market monitoring, export facilitation, and the prevention of cross-border smuggling.

The Secretary, Ministry of National Food Security and Research, informed the Committee that the PC-I for the proposed initiative had been finalized and would be implemented within three months.

The Committee decided to review progress on the initiative after the stipulated period.

The Committee further resolved to revisit the Potato Crop Crisis in its next meeting and directed the Ministry to present a comprehensive briefing on the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Initiative.

The Committee also sought an explanation from the Ministry regarding the exclusion of the joint project of PARC and Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, for the establishment of the Dates Research Center at Khairpur from the PSDP 2026–27. The Chairman, PARC, was directed to submit a written response to the queries raised by the Hon. Members regarding his visits to Khairpur and Thatta, the commitments made during those visits, and the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) executed on those occasions.

The Committee also questioned the transparency of the recruitment process for the appointment of 80 scientists. The Ministry informed the Committee that the recruitment process had been cancelled.

The Committee then took up Agenda Item No. IV, concerning its earlier recommendation for the Ministry to convene a consultative inter-ministerial meeting with representatives of juice manufacturers, farmers, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), and other relevant stakeholders to review quality standards for beverages containing artificial sweeteners and assess their potential health implications.

The Ministry presented the report of the consultative meeting before the Committee.

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After detailed deliberations, the Committee recommended that the Food Authorities of all provinces and Islamabad submit their recommendations to PSQCA within one week.

Thereafter, PSQCA was directed to convene a meeting of its Technical Committee, with the participation of all stakeholders, to revise beverage standards in light of the findings of NIH, provincial Food Authorities, and internationally accepted scientific research regarding the health effects of artificial sweeteners and chemical additives, particularly on children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.

The Committee further recommended that PSQCA issue comprehensive guidelines to provincial Food Authorities, make quarterly testing of beverages through PSQCA-recognized laboratories mandatory, and ensure effective monitoring and enforcement.

It also emphasized the need for clear product labelling identifying potential health risks, the prohibition of misleading fruit imagery on packaging, and the imposition of stringent penalties for violations. The Committee further recommended increasing the minimum fruit pulp content in juice products to at least 10 percent.

Expressing serious concern over public health, the Committee recommended that beverages containing artificial sweeteners should not be sold in schools and hospitals.

It also sought details from provincial Food Authorities regarding fines imposed and samples collected during the previous six months under the existing quality standards. The Committee expressed dissatisfaction with the information provided.

The Committee further recommended discouraging the sale of juices in plastic containers due to the potential health risks associated with such packaging.

During the meeting, the Vice President of the Multan Mango Growers Association informed the Committee that the excessive consumption of artificially sweetened beverages was contributing to the increasing incidence of premature diabetes among children and adversely affecting pancreatic health. The Committee directed him to submit detailed recommendations for onward transmission to the Ministry and recommended that he be invited to participate in the PSQCA Technical Committee meeting as a subject expert.

The Committee also deliberated on matters relating to mango exports and recommended that export schedules be determined according to variety and region, rather than through a uniform nationwide time line, noting that mangoes in Sindh mature earlier than those in Punjab. The Committee was informed that growers in Sindh had experienced a significant decline in prices due to export restrictions.

The Committee directed the Ministry to convene an inter-ministerial meeting on mango exports before its next meeting and submit a comprehensive report containing country-wise export data for the last five years, together with an assessment of export trends, existing challenges, and future prospects.

The meeting was attended by Hon. Members Waseem Qadir, Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan, Nadeem Abbas, Abdul Qadir Khan, Ms. Musarrat Asif Khawaja, Nazir Ahmed Bhugio, Syed Javed Ali Shah Jillani, Syed Abrar Ali Shah, Zulfiqar Ali Behan, and Syed Ayaz Ali Shah Sheerazi. Senior officials from the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), and the Food Authorities of all provinces were also in attendance.