KARACHI: Pakistan’s food security is under growing threat from increasingly frequent floods, droughts and extreme heat, which have sharply affected agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods, a senior minister said while addressing an international conference on Saturday, emphasizing the need to strengthen water resilience in a climate-stressed region.
Speaking at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) 2026 in Berlin, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain said climate-induced shocks had exposed the vulnerability of Pakistan’s agriculture, which relies heavily on the Indus Basin for food production and employment.
“Climate-induced shocks have severely affected agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods and national food security,” Hussain said, adding that recent floods and prolonged dry spells had reinforced the urgency of shifting toward water resilience.
Pakistan’s food system depends on the Indus river system, which supports agriculture, industry and ecosystems for more than 240 million people. Hussain said water security was fundamental to food security and stressed that cooperation over shared water resources was essential for regional stability.
