Dr Tasneem Ahmad
In May 2025, Pakistan announced the establishment of the National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority (NAFSA), replacing the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) and the An-imal Quarantine Department (AQD).
The initiative was presented as a major reform aimed at aligning Pakistan’s agriculture and food trade systems with international sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards under the WTO framework as well as the requirements of the IPPC, Codex Alimentarius and WOAH. On paper, the vision appears modern and ambitious. In practice, however, the present structure of NAFSA risks undermining the very objectives it claims to achieve. The most serious concern is the growing dominance of bureaucracy over technical leadership. Senior positions, including that of Director General, are reportedly being occupied or filled by non-technical officers, depriving the institution of science-based decision-making. For an authority entrusted with safeguarding Pakistan’s food safety, plant health, animal health and export certification systems, sidelining technical professionals is potentially dangerous.
Equally concerning is the composition of the Board of Governors (BOG). The inclusion of representatives from academia and research institutions appears largely symbolic, while professionals with hands-on expertise in plant protection, veterinary health, food safety and agricultural trade remain underrepresented. At the same time, the business community has been allocated three seats on the Board, exceeding the representation of technical experts. While stakeholder participation is important, such disproportionate representation raises concerns regarding conflict of interest and regulatory neutrality. The dismantling of DPP and AQD has also left experienced technical cadres in uncertainty. Officers with decades of institutional knowledge in pest surveillance, export certification, quarantine inspections and disease control are either being declared surplus or reassigned without a clear transition framework. Laboratories already struggling to maintain national and international accreditation now face additional uncertainty regarding staffing, funding and operational continuity. This disruption threatens not only export continuity but also Pakistan’s compliance obligations under international SPS agreements. NAFSA’s centralized structure further raises constitutional and administrative concerns. Following the 18th Constitutional Amendment, many agricultural and food-related functions were devolved to the provinces, including pesticide regulation and food safety enforcement. Provincial food safety authorities already exist within their respective jurisdictions. By re-centralizing authority without clear coordination mechanisms, NAFSA risks duplication of mandates, administrative confusion and possible legal challenges.
The transition timeline also appears unrealistic. A six-month period for institutional restructuring, staff absorption and operational integration is insufficient for highly trade-sensitive functions such as mango exports, meat certification, pest monitoring and quarantine clearance. Without a phased and technically guided transition strategy, Pakistan risks disruptions during critical export seasons. Most importantly, Pakistan’s international credibility may be at stake. Global trading partners recognize SPS certifications issued by technically competent National Plant Protection Organizations, Chief Veterinary Officers and independent food safety authorities. If these responsibilities are transferred to a corporatized structure led by non-technical officers lacking recognized professional standing, the credibility of Pakistani certifications may come under question, resulting in export rejections, enhanced inspections, delayed consignments or trade restrictions. Pakistan certainly needs a modern, credible and internationally compliant food safety and agri-trade institution. NAFSA can still become that institution, but only if it is built upon technical competence, institutional continuity and professional independence rather than bureaucratic or political convenience.
—The writer is former Director General, Department of Plant Protection Government of Pakistan ,
