AwaisLaw DRT drives the legislative architecture behind Pakistan’s next-generation food safety and agri-trade regime.
AwaisLaw DRT was engaged by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to advise on the drafting of the National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority Act, 2026, along with the institutional development of the National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority.
Pakistan’s agricultural exports have long operated under a fragmented legal architecture, split across four separate statutes dating back to 1937. This resulted in inconsistency, unfeasible certification timelines, and — most importantly — weakened Pakistan’s negotiating position in competitive international markets.
A certificate is only worth the framework behind it.
The NAFSA Act consolidates this landscape into a single, unified regulatory framework with the National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority as its custodian. It aligns Pakistan’s sanitary and phytosanitary framework directly with the standards of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the International Plant Protection Convention. It builds an accredited laboratory network recognised under ISO 17025 and the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement, and establishes a coordinated federal–provincial mechanism to harmonise SPS compliance across the country.
Legislative and institutional development of this scale sits at the intersection of regulatory policy, international trade law, and institutional design. We are honoured to have supported the Ministry in shaping a framework that positions Pakistan’s agricultural sector for stronger, more competitive participation in global trade.
This note is published for general information on a development in Pakistani regulatory and trade law. It is not legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. For advice on a specific matter, please contact the firm.
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