By Jawad Ahmed ISLAMABAD, Feb. 24 (INP-WealthPK): Efficient road connection is required to accomplish more than half of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of the main priorities for achieving the 2030 Agenda for SDGs of “leave no one behind” is to eliminate poverty and hunger. Road infrastructure, as well as the provision of secure, efficient, and cost-effective transportation services, has the potential to spur social and economic development, lowering poverty, enhancing food security and productivity, and reducing hunger. As an agrarian country, Pakistan’s national highways and motorways provide a gateway to transport the bulk of food and farm commodities from one part of the country to another. According to the National Transportation Research Center (NTRC), the majority of the trucks on highways and motorways carry food items and agriculture products. The trucks on motorways carry 18.55% of food and 9.92% of agriculture items. Similarly, trucks transport 26.38% of food and 10.24% of agricultural items on national highways. Food and agricultural goods account for more than 30 percent of overall road traffic load on the country's major roads. Available data highlights the significance of a well-developed road network in the country for ensuring food supply and transportation.           Source: NTRC axle load survey on National Highway & Motorway network of Pakistan Food security has become one of the top priorities for governments around the world. Poor road infrastructure is regarded a key obstacle to the efficient, cost-effective, and timely delivery of perishable and agriculture goods to the market. To get market access, Pakistan requires a supply chain and supporting infrastructure. A recent case study published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), also seen by WealthPK, stresses the need for effective and efficient transportation links to the primary economic nodes, particularly rural agriculture regions, in order to reap the maximum benefit of the Evolution of Economic Corridors (ECD). According to a research paper issued by Research for Community Access Partnership (ReCAP) with the cooperation of NTRS, strengthening ties between metropolitan centers and rural regions is critical to enhancing sustainable socio-economic development and poverty reduction. The government is focusing on several infrastructure initiatives to improve market connection. An amount of Rs118.7 billion was approved for maintenance and development of 58 NHA (National Highway Authority) schemes, against which an amount of Rs95.22 billion has been spent under the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) by the end of 2020-21. Furthermore, the federal government plans to spend Rs6.1 billion against a budget allocation of Rs9.5 billion on 18 different ongoing provincial roads projects. According to the Annual Plan 2021-22, the transport and logistics industry would get Rs302 billion for FY21-22. Over Rs269 billion is projected to be spent on roads improvement from this fund during the current fiscal year. Road infrastructure and mobility are good strategies for increasing food security and reducing hunger. It gives farmers access to large marketplaces and helps them sell their products at competitive prices. Furthermore, improved road connectivity lowers commodity transportation costs and boosts regional trade. As a result, higher profit to the farmer uplifts their economic condition and reduces poverty. In addition, well-developed road networks enable farm-related goods and services to reach farms more quickly and at a lower cost.