Fertile land is being converted for residential colonies and other purpose posing challenges to the agriculture of Pakistan, says the Punjab Agricultural Minister Hussain Jahania Gardezi. He said it is also a matter of grave concern that Pakistan is importing edible oil worth of $4 billion. Chairing a meeting on agriculture policy in the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, he said the agriculture sector was facing numerous issues like low productivity, traditional way of the farming, soil fertility, market issues, climate changes, water scarcity, seed etc. In such circumstances, he said the scientists must develop agricultural policy recommendations to revamp the policy on scientific bases keeping the ground realties and the challenges in view to ensure food security and increase productivity. He directed the UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad to constitute a committee for mapping out recommendations on modern lines to make farming an attractive profession and to meet the food demands of the ever-increasing population. He said the cities were expanding and fertile land was being converted for residential colonies and other purposes as well. The situation requires vertical expansion of the cities. The minister said improvement of life in rural area is need of the hour with quality education and better medical facilities and this way we could minimize heavy migration towards cities. He said that if Seed Act 2015 was implemented in letter and spirit, it will address the issue. He said that the country was importing edible oil worth $4 billion that was matter of a grave concern for agrarian country. He said that now oil seed area was increasing but wheat area was being converted into oil seed crop. Dr Iqrar Ahmad said until 1960, average annual growth in agriculture was 6 percent while 1960-2000, it was 4.33 percent, while 2000-20, the agriculture was the stagnant when average annual growth was 2.7 percent. He said that China Research and Development investment in GDP on agriculture is 0.62, India 0.4 percent while Pakistan .18 percent. Talking about main issues, he said malnutrition, food security, land and water productivity, climate changes, diversification, post harvest losses and market, rural Social disparity, stagnat yields were hampering the process of the agriculture development.