ISLAMABAD, Dec 10: The Ministry of National Food Security and Research created nearly three months ago has not yet started functioning because the Ministry of Finance has not released its budget thus far.

Official sources told Dawn that the new ministry had asked the Finance Division to release about Rs220 million allocated for it prior to the dissolution of the ministry of food and agriculture.

Sources said that secretary of the ministry Shafgat Naghmi had made several visits to the finance ministry to get the funds released.

Mr Naghmi said: `We are insisting on the release of allocated funds which had been set aside before the finalisanon of federal budget 201112.

However, he was not hopeful the funds would be released now since almost half the fiscal year 2011-12 had already passed. `It`s up to the finance ministry to decide about the budget but we (badly) want that budget,` he said.

The delay in funds` release could have a negative impact on the process of devising policies on food security and agricultural research as well as federal government`s policies on various agricultural crops and inputs, said the sources.

According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, the organisations which will now come under the control of the new ministry are; Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), PASSCO, Pakistan Dairy Development Board, Livestock and Dairy Development Board, Fisheries Development Board, PCCC, Agricultural Policy Institute, National Veterinary Laboratory, Islamabad; and Laboratory for Detection of Drugs Residues in Animal Products, Karachi.

The new ministry will also deal with international organisations like the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), policy matters on import and export of food grains and food stuff, including quality control, assurance and storage; collection of statistics on production, consumption, prices, imports and exports of food grains; plant protection including pesticide import and standardisation, aerial spray, plant quarantine and locust controlin its international aspect and maintenance of locust warning organisations; federal seed certification and registration and standardisation and import of fertiliser.