Starvation Of Millions

Asem Mustafa Awan

The alarm bells are ringing, and with floods and upcoming monsoons, the picture appears bleak. The United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) has done the needful and it is time the government took measures to secure food supplies for over 220 million of its inhabitants, who are all disturbed by inflation and food insecurity.

Pakistan is an agrarian country, and 25 million people and more are associated with the trade that contributes to approximately one-fourth of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It is also a fact that Pakistan imports its wheat and pulses while neighbouring India exports them to the world.

Something is not right somewhere. How did it happen? Before partition, the united Punjab, forming Pakistan and India, was the food basket of the whole subcontinent, and now the Indian Punjab and its farmers are progressing leaps and bounds while farmers in Pakistan are finding it difficult to sustain their livelihoods.

The WFP has rightly pointed out that ‘prices of wheat and wheat flour in Pakistan continue to rise’, and due to this, various factors will be in place, including hoarders and profiteers who will make millions and millions on the suffering and starvation of many millions.

Pakistan is facing a food crisis. The severe floods in 2022 and subsequent devastation have made UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres call the 2022 floods an ‘environmental massacre’, affecting 33 million Pakistanis with over 1,600 dead and 12,800 injured (official figures).

Millions of acres of agricultural land and crops were destroyed in Pakistan, causing immense damage to livestock which forms the main source of income for the majority as it is immediate cash.

Due to the flood, a food shortage has been observed, and the difference in supply and demand is not yet balanced, resulting in food prices skyrocketing and leading to widespread food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition in the country.

People below the poverty line are affected immensely and the saying a ‘hungry man is an angry man’ should be considered by policymakers before the public shifts its attention to the people who are responsible for creating the mess.

Pakistan needs proactive policy measures to increase the quality and quantity of crops and achieve the zero-hunger target, a dream harboured and nurtured by billions and not millions. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), massive floods in Pakistan destroyed 1.7 million hectares of agricultural land and major agricultural products such as rice, tomatoes, onions, wheat, and other vegetables.

As an agrarian economy, Pakistan relies heavily on its farming sector which is the country’s largest source of foreign exchange.

According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the shortage of agricultural crops, especially wheat, the staple diet of the nation, has resulted in increased food imports, resulting in increased expenditure and reducing the purchasing power of the masses.

Agriculture plays an important role in the social, economic and cultural fabric of Pakistan, and 25 million people in Pakistan are engaged in the activity which is the main source of income for 34 percent of economically active men and 74 percent of economically active women.

As climate change poses a significant threat to the livelihoods of millions of farming families reliant on agriculture in Pakistan, the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) offers promising opportunities.

India has the same climate as Pakistan, but with research and the use of technology in the agricultural sector, India has come a long way and has shown success in various fields, improving both the quality and quantity of crops as well as the quality of life of its inhabitants.

Recently, the Pakistani army initiated a project to promote modern agriculture to meet the need for food and improve the livestock sector.

The picture of the Russian army ploughing potato fields in the past should serve as inspiration. With commitment and public backing, Russia now holds the food basket for the world and showed commendable resilience when it was faced with hard times. Pakistan should also gear up as success starts with the first step.