Pakistan’s minister for food security, Rana Tanveer Hussain, has called for stronger cooperation with CIMMYT, the international agricultural research organisation, to raise wheat production and create a surplus that could be sold abroad.
Speaking at the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Hussain told a meeting with Dr Flavio Breseghello, director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program, and Dr Sajid Ali, the organisation’s senior scientist and country representative for Pakistan, that the country must go beyond meeting its own needs. He said Pakistan should be able to supply international markets and food-deficit countries.
Closing the productivity gap for a population of 260 million
Hussain stressed that wheat output must rise substantially to feed a population of around 260 million people. Referring to the recent need to import wheat, he said the country had to narrow its productivity gap through better seed, stronger research and wider use of modern farming technologies.
The minister pointed to a wheat yield target of 3.5 tonnes per hectare. He also urged greater engagement with private partners to support national food security goals. Hussain said research partnerships would matter more as farmers face rising input costs and the effects of climate change.
CIMMYT asked to expand research and new wheat varieties
Hussain asked CIMMYT to widen its backing for Pakistan’s wheat research. He listed several areas where he wanted more support:
- Improved crop varieties and genomic research
- Hybrid wheat and gene-editing technologies
- Advanced breeding methods
He said better research facilities and more highly trained scientists were needed to develop varieties that can withstand climate pressures and offer improved nutritional value. Hussain also acknowledged six decades of the CIMMYT-Pakistan partnership and credited the organisation with helping the country’s agricultural development, including the role of MAXIPAK varieties in the Green Revolution.
The minister welcomed CIMMYT’s help in upgrading laboratories, supplying research equipment and providing machinery to agricultural research institutions. He added that future cooperation should focus on advanced technologies that could deliver further productivity gains.
Dr Sajid Ali told the meeting that facilities had been upgraded at five major wheat research institutions during 2026, including the National Agricultural Research Centre in Islamabad. Research machinery had been provided to 11 national research partners, and 15 scientists had been trained in Kenya, Nepal, Ethiopia and Mexico, along with training programmes held in Pakistan.
Ali also said CIMMYT had helped set up 21 seed banks across 20 districts in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the merged districts. The initiative is aimed at resource-poor and vulnerable farming communities. Climate-smart zero-tillage seed-cum-fertiliser drills had been handed to five partner organisations, including the Green Pakistan Initiative and the National Rural Support Program.
Hybrid wheat talks and host country agreement finalised
Breseghello highlighted the long-running partnership with Pakistan and the role of genetic improvement in sustained wheat yield growth. He said ongoing support aims to strengthen breeding programmes, improve seed processing and field research, and speed up the development of wheat varieties suited to changing climate conditions and nutritional needs.
Both sides discussed the potential of hybrid wheat and opportunities for deeper collaboration with Pakistani research institutions and other partners. Hussain assured the delegation of the government’s continued facilitation and said he was ready to support a larger CIMMYT contribution to the agriculture sector.
The meeting also discussed the proposed Host Country Agreement. Participants were told the document had been finalised and was ready for signing.
Hussain reaffirmed the government’s commitment to agricultural research, innovation and climate resilience. He said cooperation with CIMMYT should help close Pakistan’s wheat productivity gap and secure lasting gains in national food security.
