Professional Documents
Culture Documents
December 29
2011
Contents
Executive Summary................................................................................................................................. 2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Food Security ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Official Definition ................................................................................................................................ 3 Food Insecurity.................................................................................................................................... 4 Inflation ............................................................................................................................................... 4 Food Inflation ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Why food insecurity? .............................................................................................................................. 4 Right to food ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Constitution of Pakistan .......................................................................................................................... 6 Components of food security ................................................................................................................. 6 Agriculture and Food Security ................................................................................................................ 7 Agriculture in Pakistan ........................................................................................................................ 7 Crop Situation ......................................................................................................................................... 9 a) Major Crops .................................................................................................................................... 9 b) Minor Crops .................................................................................................................................. 13 Food inflation ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Why food inflation? .............................................................................................................................. 14 Recent causes of food inflation in Pakistan ...................................................................................... 15 Price Hike, Floods Affected Food Security: WFP ........................................................................... 15 Climate Change Linked To Food Price Hike................................................................................... 15 Food Inflation in 2010-11...................................................................................................................... 16 Inflation in Brief ................................................................................................................................ 17 CPI Inflation ................................................................................................................................... 19 SPI Inflation ................................................................................................................................... 20 WPI Inflation ................................................................................................................................. 21 Remedies............................................................................................................................................... 22 Suggestions ........................................................................................................................................... 24 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................ 26 References ............................................................................................................................................ 27
Hunger is exclusion exclusion from the land, from income, jobs, wages, life and citizenship. When a person gets to the point of not having anything to eat, it is because all the rest has been denied. This is a modern form of exile. It is death in life Josue de Castro
Executive Summary
Food security in Pakistan has significantly worsened as result of the recent food price hikes. The main findings indicate that more than half of the surveyed households experienced high food prices as a shock. Most households have tried to cope with the high food prices by reducing non-food expenditures. The high food prices is undermining the poverty reduction gains, as food expenditures comprises a large share of the poors total expenditures and food price hike has severely eroded their purchasing power. The poorest households now need to spend 70% or more of their income on food and their ability to meet most essential expenditures for health and education is severely compromised. In addition, the diminished purchasing power has severely impaired the capacity of the poor households to seek health care, and children education, particularly girls. This situation has further exasperated by the falling nutrition level, particularly for already malnourished children. High food prices affect urban and rural households differently, as income, food sources, expenditure patterns as well as coping strategies vary. It further indicates that more than 40 percent of households reported no change in income since last year, while a larger share in urban areas observed a decrease than an increase in income. Following the worst ever floods in Pakistans history in July-August 2010. Experts on water management, food security and economy had a common view that the country as well as the nation is likely to suffer in various sectors for years due to the floods which affected nearly one-fifth of the countrys landscape. They warned of widespread food insecurity and inflation, disputes and litigation over property rights and general socio-economic unrest in the country if the state institutions fail to respond timely to the post-floods challenges.
Introduction
Food Security
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. The amount and quality of food available globally, nationally and locally can be affected temporarily or long-term by many factors including climate, disasters, war, civil unrest, population size and growth, agricultural practices, environment, social status and trade. Affordable age, status, gender, income, geographic location and ethnicity all affect a person's ability to access and afford sufficient food. When there is a shortage of food the rich are unlikely to go hungry but their demand for food increases the price and makes it harder for poor people to obtain food.
Official Definition
The initial focus, reflecting the global concerns of 1974, was on the volume and stability of food supplies. Food security was defined in the 1974 World Food Summit as: Availability at all times of adequate world food supplies of basic foodstuffs to sustain a steady expansion of food consumption and to offset fluctuations in production and prices. In 1983, FAO expanded its concept to include securing access by vulnerable people to available supplies, implying that attention should be balanced between the demand and supply side of the food security equation: Ensuring that all people at all times have both physical and economic access to the basic food that they need. In 1986, the World Bank report, Poverty and Hunger, focused on the temporal dynamics of food insecurity. It introduced the widely accepted distinction between chronic food insecurity, associated with problems of continuing or structural poverty and low incomes, and transitory food insecurity, which involved periods of intensified pressure caused by natural disasters, economic collapse or conflict. This concept of food security is further elaborated in terms of: Access of all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. By the mid-1990s food security was recognized as a significant concern, spanning a spectrum from the individual to the global level. However, access now involved sufficient food, indicating continuing concern with protein-energy malnutrition. But the definition was broadened to incorporate food safety and also nutritional balance, reflecting concerns about food composition and minor nutrient requirements for an active and healthy life.
The 1996 World Food Summit adopted a still more complex definition: Food security, at the individual, household, national, regional and global levels [is achieved] when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. (1)
Food Insecurity Food insecurity exists whenever the availability of nutritionally adequate
and safe foods or the ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways is limited or uncertain.
Inflation
Inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over time."Inflation" is also sometimes used to refer to a rise in the prices of some specific set of goods or services.
Food Inflation
Food inflation is a consistent rise in the price level of all agricultural food items. This rise in price level is neither seasonal nor sudden; it keeps on increasing over a period of time. Food inflation will be discussed later. Now lets talk about food insecurity and its causes.
Health: Without sufficient calories and nutrients, the body slows down making it difficult to
undertake the work needed to produce food. Without good health, the body is less able to make use of the food that is available. A hungry mother gives birth to an underweight baby, who then faces a future of stunted growth, frequent illness, learning disabilities, and reduced resistance to disease. Contaminated water and food can causes illness, nutrient loss and often death in children.
Water and environment: Food production requires massive amounts of water. It takes
one cubic meter (1000 liters) of water to produce one kilogram of wheat and 5,000 liters of water for one kilogram of rice. Producing sufficient food is directly related to having
sufficient water. Increasing irrigation efficiency and limiting environment damage through Stalinization or reduced soil fertility is important for ongoing food availability. (2)
Gender equity: Women play a vital role in providing food and nutrition for their families
through their roles as food producers, processors, traders and income earners. Yet their lower social and economic status limits their access to education, training, land ownership, decision making and credit and consequently their ability to improve their access to food.
Disasters and conflicts: Droughts, floods, cyclones and pests can quickly wipe out large
quantities of food as it grows or is stored for later use or planting. Conflicts can also reduce or destroy food in production or storage. Farmers flee their fields for safety or become involved in the fighting. Previously productive land may be contaminated with explosive debris and need to be cleared before it can be used for food production again. Stored food, seeds and breeding livestock may be eaten or destroyed by soldiers or opposing groups leading to long-term food shortages.
Population and urbanization: Population growth increases the demand for food.
With most productive land already in use there is pressure for this land to become increasingly productive. Expanding cities spread out across productive land, reducing the agricultural production including food production.
Trade: Many poor countries can produce staples more cheaply than rich nations but
barriers to trade, such as distance from markets, quarantine regulations and tariffs make it difficult for them to compete in export markets against highly subsidised farmers in rich countries.
Right to food
Article 25, Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 outlines the right to food as:
1. Respect: States must refrain from violating the right to food e.g. discrimination against
women, forced displacement from lands. This can also be used for the international perspective developed countries governments should not knowingly violate the right to food of citizens in other countries through e.g. trade rules.
2. Protect: Third parties must refrain from violations, and government has a duty to
regulate third parties this relates to corporate violations, regulatory frameworks e.g. for GMOs, and to armed opposition groups.
3. Fulfill: States must take positive action to progressively realize the right to food for all
relates to food security policies, trade issues etc.
Constitution of Pakistan
Article 38 (d) of the Constitution of Pakistan ensures provision of basic necessities of life including food for the citizens of Pakistan. It says: The State shall provide basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, housing, education and medical relief, for all citizens, irrespective of sex, caste, creed or race, as are permanently or temporarily unable to earn their livelihood on account of infirmity, sickness or unemployment.
Food availability
Food availability is achieved when sufficient quantities of food are consistently available to all individuals. Sources of such a food supply could be households own production, other domestic output, commercial imports or food assistance.
Access to food
Access to food is ensured when a household and all members of the household have enough (economic) resources to acquire food meeting the nutritional requirements and dietary needs of the household. Access is thus primarily a function of a households income, its distribution within the household and the price of food, besides the physical aspect. Economic accessibility implies that personal or household financial costs associated with the acquisition of food, to meet dietary needs adequately, should be at such a level that the attainment and satisfaction of other basic needs are not threatened or compromised.
Agriculture in Pakistan
Agriculture is considered the mainstay of Pakistans economy. According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2001-2002, nearly one-fourth of total output of the GDP and 44 per cent of total employment is generated in agriculture. More than 67 per cent of the countrys rural population is directly or indirectly linked with agriculture for their livelihood. Whatever happens to agriculture is bound to affect the livelihood and consequently food security of the poor rural people. Agricultures share in the GDP has declined from 38 per cent in 1969-70 to 28 per cent in 2001-02. Decline of agriculture and shrinking livelihood opportunities have resulted in rising poverty in rural areas. (5) Agriculture is an important sector, providing food to the fast growing population of the country. With a population growth rate of 2.23 per cent, there will be a net addition of 3.0 million people each year. According to United Nations Statement on Food Security in Pakistan, 2000, in more than 50 years (1948-2000), the population has increased four folds but during this period the production of wheat, the major food crop, has increased only 2.9 fold. Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, however, claims that wheat production in the country has increased by 647 per cent (more than 6.4 fold) during 1948 to 2006 whereas increase in the area was 210 per cent during this period. The country's consumption requirement, however, is approximately 21.3 million tons per year.
There are four major crops; wheat, rice, cotton and sugarcane. Among the minor crops the most important are; fruits and vegetables, followed by pulses and oilseeds. The main successes since the 1960s have been in the production of wheat, rice, cotton and poultry products. Although self-sufficiency has not yet been achieved in grain production, rice and cotton have contributed substantially to increased export earnings. During the period of 1990-91 to 1999-2000, the major crops sub-sector witnessed a growth rate of only 2.87 per cent. The other sub-sectors such as minor crops and livestock did well in the 1990s but fisheries slow down. Income from forestry is declining due to ban on harvesting enforced since 1997-98 for forestry protection. Wheat production fluctuated between 14.56 million tons in 1990-91 to 21.5 in 2005-06. The relative success story of wheat, rice and cotton has not been repeated in sugarcane though its production has increased mainly through increased area which went up from 190,000 hectares in 1948 to a record 1.16 million hectares in 1998-99, declining to one million hectares in 1999-2000. Sugarcane yields have remained more or less static. For oil seeds, the country turned from self-sufficiency into a major importer of edible oils. In 2000, the imports represented 65 per cent of domestic consumption. Area under maize has doubled since 1948 but its yield has not shown any significant improvement due to lack of high yielding varieties and most of the crop in NWFP continues to be grown under rainfed conditions. (6)
Table 1: Agriculture Growth Year Agriculture 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 (P)
P: Provisional
(in %age) Forestry -32.4 -1.1 -5.1 -13.0 -3.0 2.2 -4.0
This table clearly shows the percentage of agriculture growth of major and minor crops as well as the livestock, fishery and forestry in Pakistan.
Crop Situation
a) Major Crops
Pakistan has two principle crops seasons, namely the "Kharif", the sowing season of which begins in April-June and harvested during October December; while "Rabi", begins in October December and harvested in April-May. Rice, sugarcane, cotton, maize, mung, mash, bajra and jowar are Kharif" crops while wheat, gram, lenti (masoor), tobacco, rapeseed, barley and mustard are "Rabi" crops. Major crops, such as, wheat, rice, cotton and sugarcane account for 90 percent of the value added in the major crops. The value added in major crops accounts for 31 percent of the value added in the agriculture. Thus, four major crops (wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane) on average, contribute 28 percent to the value added in overall agriculture and 5.9 percent to GDP. The minor crops account for 10.9 percent of the value added in overall agriculture. Livestock contributes 55.1 percent to agricultural value added much more than the combined contribution of major and minor crops (41.9%). The production performance of major crops is documented in Table 1. (7) Table 1: Production of Major Crops Year Sugarcane 2004-05 47,244 (-11.6) 2005-06 44,666 (-5.5) 2006-07 54,742 (22.6) 2007-08 63,920 (16.8) 2008-09 50,045 (-21.7) 2009-10 49,373 (-1.3) 2010-11 (P) 55,309 (12.0)
Rice 5,025 (3.6) 5,547 (10.4) 5,438 (-2.0) 5,563 (2.3) 6,952 (25.0) 6,883 (-1.0) 4,823 (-29.9)
Maize 2,797 (47.4) 3,110 (11.2) 3,088 (-0.7) 3,605 (16.7) 3,593 (-0.3) 3,262 (-9.2) 3,341 (2.4)
(000 Tons) Wheat 21,612 (10.8) 21,277 (-1.6) 23,295 (9.5) 20,959 (-10.0) 24,033 (14.7) 23,311 (-3.0) 24,214 (3.9)
Wheat production in the country, however, has been well below potential and variable. The major reasons for low productivity and instability includes: delayed harvesting of Kharif crops like maize, sugarcane and rice, and consequent late planting of wheat, non availability of improved inputs like seeds, inefficient fertilizer use, weed infestation, shortage of irrigation water, drought in rain-fed area and terminal heat stress, soil degradation, and inefficient extension services. Moreover, farmers are not aware of modern technologies because of weak extension services system. (8)
Sugarcane:
Sugarcane crop is a major raw material source for the production of white sugar and gurh. Its share in value added in agriculture and GDP is 3.6 and 0.8 percent, respectively. Sugarcane was cultivated on an area of 988 thousand hectares, 4.8 percent higher than last years level of 943 thousand hectares. Sugarcane production for the year 2010-11 is estimated at 55.3 million tons as against actual production of 49.3 million tons last year. This indicates a rise of 12.0 percent over the production of last year. Main factors contributing for more production are lucrative market prices of last years produce and timely availability of inputs encouraging the farmers to grow more sugarcane crop. The area, production and yield of sugarcane for the last five years are given in Fig. 1 and Table 2. (9) Fig 1: Sugarcane Production (000 Tons)
The following table explains the graph of sugarcane production (Fig 1) with the help of its area and yield. Table 2: Area, Production and Yield of Sugarcane Year Area Production (000 Hec.) % Change (000 Tons) % Change 2006-07 1029 13.5 54742 22.6 2007-08 1241 20.6 63920 16.8 2008-09 1024 -17.1 50045 -21.7 2009-10 943 -8.4 49373 -1.3 2010-11 (P) 988 4.8 55309 12.0
P: Provisional (July-March)
Yield (Kgs/Hec.) % Change 53199 8.0 51507 -3.2 48635 -5.6 52357 7.7 55981 6.9
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Rice:
Rice is the second largest staple food crop in Pakistan and is a major source of export earnings in recent years. It accounts for 4.4 percent of value added in agriculture and 0.9 percent in GDP. Pakistan grows high quality rice to meet both domestic demand and exports. Area sown for rice is estimated at 2365 thousand hectares, 17.9 percent less than last year (2883 thousand hectares). The production of the crop is estimated at 4823 thousand tons, 29.9 percent less than last year. This is mainly attributed to devastating floods of July, 2010 coupled with breaches of protective bunds of river Indus which badly affected the main paddy growing districts and low market returns during last year. While decrease in production is due to decrease in area, attack of pests and disease and logging of early sown crops. The area, production and yield of rice for the last five years are given in Table 3 and Fig 2. (10) Fig 2: Rice Production (000 Tons)
The following table explains the graph of rice production (Fig 2) with the help of its area and yield. Table 3: Area, Production and Yield of Rice Year Area (000 Hec.) % Change 2006-07 2581 -1.5 2007-08 2515 -2.6 2008-09 2963 17.8 2009-10 2883 -2.7 2010-11 (P) 2365 -17.9
P: Provisional (July-March)
Production (000 Tons) % Change 5438 -2.0 5563 2.3 6952 25.0 6883 -1.0 4823 -29.9
Yield (Kgs/Hec.) % Change 2107 -0.4 2212 5.0 2346 6.1 2387 1.7 2039 -14.6
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Wheat:
Wheat is the main staple food for most of the population and largest grain source of the country. It occupies the central position in formulating agricultural policies. It contributes 13.1 percent to the value added in agriculture and 2.7 percent to GDP. Area and production target of wheat for the year 2010-11 had been set at 9045 thousand hectares and 25 million tons, respectively. Wheat was cultivated on an area of 8805 thousand hectares, showing a decrease of 3.6 percent over last years area of 9132 thousand hectares. However, a bumper wheat crop of 24.2 million tons has been estimated with 3.9 percent increase over the last years crop of 23.3 million tons. The prospects for wheat harvest improved with healthy fertilizer off-take and reasonable rainfall during pre-harvesting period. The area, production and yield of wheat for the last five years are given in Fig 3 and Table 4. (11) Fig 3: Wheat Production (000 Tons)
The following table explains the graph of wheat production (Fig 3) with the help of its area and yield. Table 4: Area, Production and Yield of Wheat Year Area (000 Hec.) % Change 2006-07 8578 1.5 2007-08 8550 -0.3 2008-09 9046 5.8 2009-10 9132 1.0 2010-11 (P) 8805 -3.6
P: Provisional (July-March)
Production (000 Tons) % Change 23295 9.5 20959 -10.0 24033 14.7 23311 -3.0 24214 3.9
Yield (Kgs/Hec.) % Change 2716 7.8 2451 -3.9 2657 8.4 2553 -3.9 2750 7.7
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b) Minor Crops
i) Oilseeds
The major oilseed crops include sunflower, canola, rapeseed & mustard and cottonseed. The total availability of edible oil in 2009-10 was 2.9 million tons. Local production of edible oil was 662 thousand tons which accounted for 23 percent of total availability in the country, while the remaining 77 percent availability was ensured through imports. During the year 2010-11 (July-March), a quantity of 1.7 million Tons edible oil/oilseeds worth US$ 1.65 billion has been imported. The local production in 2010-11 is provisionally estimated at 696 thousand tons. Total availability from all sources is thus reduced to 2.35 million tons. The area and production of oilseed crops during 2009-10 and 2010-11 is given in Table 5.
Table 5 Area and Production of Major Oilseed Crops 2009-10 2010-11 (P) Crops Area Production Area Production (000 Acres) Seed Oil (000 Acres) Seed Oil (000 Tons) (000 Tons) (000 Tons) (000 Tons) Cottonseed 7,691 3,240 398 6,450 2,934 352 Mustard 486 160 51 439 157 50 Sunflower 872 513 195 1,108 643 244 Canola 142 70 27 233 131 50 Total 9,091 3,983 662 8,230 3,865 696 P: Provisional (July-March) Source: Pakistan Oilseed Development Board
2010-11 (P) % Change In Area Production Production (000 hectares) (000 tons) 24.0 10.6 -2.7 137 77.1 -3.5 23.8 11.2 1.0 127.7 3726.5 18.6 143.7 1892 11.2 Source: Ministry of Food and Agriculture
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Food inflation
After discussing food inflation and the production of the major and minor crops lets talk about the food inflation and its causes. Food inflation can be defined as a consistent rise in the price level of all agricultural food items. This rise in price level is neither seasonal nor sudden; it keeps on increasing over a period of time.
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of the countrys agriculture sector to its economy could be gauged from the fact that up t o 62 percent of the rural population was directly or indirectly engaged in agricultural activity. Its share in the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) stands at 21 percent. It not only provides food to 177 million people but also to about 160 million livestock, besides providing raw material for agro-based industries. There is a need for creating better linkages between scientists and growers in order to bring about self-sufficiency in food. The challenges the country faced could only be addressed by translating the knowledge generated by researchers into demand-driven technologies having the potential to enable the farming communities to increase their productivity. Pakistan had the potential to double its food production, provided the agriculture sector was given adequate support. In a message for the day, President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan needed to ensure food security as well as energy security. Any shortcomings in either of the two sectors would cause severe depletion of the countrys foreign exchange reserves. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Pakistan should not only be a frontline state in the war on terror but should also be in the vanguard against poverty and hunger. He said his government was focusing on formulating farmer-friendly policies to ensure adequate supplies of staple food. (14)
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Inflation in Brief
1. Headline CPI inflation on revised base (2007-08 = 100) is recorded at 11.0 percent on year-on-year basis in October 2011 as compared to 10.5 percent in the previous month and 15.3 percent in the corresponding month of last year. 2. CPI inflation on month-on-month basis increased to 1.4 percent in October 2011 as compared to 1.0 percent in the previous and corresponding month of last year. Seasonally adjusted month-on-month CPI inflation comes to 1.3 percent in October 2011 as compared to 1.1 percent in previous month. 3. Core inflation (trimmed) on year-on-year basis remained at the level of 11.7 percent in October 2011 as observed during the previous month and decreased when compared to 12.7 percent in the corresponding month of last year. 4. On month-on-month basis, the Core inflation (trimmed) was 1.0 percent in October 2011 as compared to 0.6 percent in September 2011 and 1.6 percent in October 2010. 5. Non-food, non-energy inflation measured by CPI Core (NFNE) on year-on-year basis is recorded at 10.5 Percent in October 2011 as compared to 10.6 percent a month earlier and 9.5 percent in October 2010. 6. Core NFNE inflation on month-on-month basis increased to 1.4 percent in October 2011 as compared to 0.7 percent a month earlier. Core NFNE was 1.6 percent in October 2010. 7. WPI inflation on year-on-year basis decreased to 15.4 percent in October 2011 when compared to 17.0 percent a month earlier. During October 2010, WPI inflation was recorded at 19.5%. 8. WPI inflation on month-on-month basis increased to 0.4 percent in October 2011as compared to 0.2 percent a month earlier. However, it was lower than 1.7 percent in October 2010. 9. SPI inflation on year-on-year basis is recorded at 8.2 percent in October 2011 as compared to 8.7 percent a month earlier and 20.9 percent in corresponding month of the last year. 10. SPI inflation on month-on-month basis increased to 0.8 percent in October 2011 when compared to 0.7 percent a month earlier while it was 1.2 percent in October 2010. (16) YoY or MoM changes in CPI, Core, WPI and SPI Inflation are shown in Table 7.
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Table 11: Wholesale Price Index Numbers by Major Groups and Selected Commodities
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Remedies
Agricultural growth has played a major role in the countrys development and continues
to be crucial for overall growth and poverty reduction. World Banks report on Rural Poverty suggests following options to reduce poverty; Promotion of efficient and sustainable agricultural growth to raise the incomes of small farmers and to generate growth linkages in the rural non-farm economy. Programs to increase livestock production, especially production of dairy cattle and milk in Punjab and Sindh, and sheep and goats in NWFP and Baluchistan, could have significant direct impact on the incomes and food security of the rural poor. Creation of an enabling environment for the rural non-farm sector to enhance employment and incomes, and improve rural public service delivery in infrastructure, health and education to serve as a foundation for growth and to increase household welfare and food security. Enhancement of the effectiveness and governance of rural institutions through decentralization and strengthen local demand for enhanced accountability. Five years after devolution, there is still confusion regarding the roles and responsibilities of the various levels of government, as well as apparent jurisdictional overlaps. Immediate steps should be taken to begin to alleviate these administrative constraints and improve the efficiency of spending, and Empowerment of the poor and protection of the most vulnerable through social mobilization, safety nets and by facilitating access to productive assets for income-generating activities for poverty reduction and food security.
Food security has basically three dimensions; adequacy of food supply, access to food, and
equity of food distribution. All these dimensions require special interventions and enabling environment for ensuring household food security. Following are the policy and strategic options recommended by the United Nations System in Pakistan to reduce food insecurity; (21)
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Water: The efficient and effective use of irrigation water is most crucial to the future of Pakistan. It is also necessary that the government should plan for the future needs, taking into account agricultural, domestic, and industrial demand of the future and impact on the environment. There is urgent need for the government to ensure adequate and timely availability of water for farming to enhance food production and availability. The lowering of the water table is a serious issue in Balochistan, where the installation of large number of tube wells for irrigation is the main factor. Efficient utilization will not only promote food production, but also ensure the sustainable use of the ground water. In arid areas of the country like Cholistan, Tharparker and greater part of Balochistan, efficient rainwater utilization can be done through better water harvesting techniques and more efficient use of the available water resources. In the Rod-Kohi and dry mountainous areas, rainwater harvesting, storage and management including increasing the capacity of the main reservoirs should be given higher priority.
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Rice: The yield of rice is about 2.0 tons/ha against expected yield of 2.56 tons/hectare. This increase in yield could be easily achieved through good management practices at farm level. Rice productivity can be increased through increasing plantation intensity, mechanized transplanting and reducing post harvesting losses. The strategic option for the rice would be to increase the productivity of the crop, while keeping the same area under this crop due to its high water requirement. Maize: This crop is mainly grown in the rain-fed areas of NWFP and Punjab. The current production level is about 1.7 million tons. Maize can play an important role in food security as it is grown in poor areas of the country (the mountainous and rained areas), which are generally food insecure. The potential of maize to contribute towards more nutritive food for human consumption is high. Presently, the maize yield is far below its potential (1.5 vs.10-12 tons/ha) which should be enhanced. Oil seed: The local production of the oil seed is low, and the country imports a large quantity to fulfill the demand of the fast growing population. There is a need to exploit the potential of the oil crops by creating more attractive and conductive environment through the establishment of an effective marketing system of oil seed crops, besides bringing new varieties of high yield.
Suggestions
Identification and targeting the food insecure people
In the context of access to food, it would be important to identify the food insecure people, who are financially poor and are unable to acquire sufficient food, even if the overall supply of food in the country is sufficient, and to improve co-ordination, information and statistical data on food insecure and vulnerable groups.
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Gender inequity
Inequity is greatly reflected in gender. In the rural areas, the women are generally uneducated, and the male members control the resources, in spite of the fact that the female contributes a lot of labor for food production. In this way they are unable to maintain their own assets. It will be required to focus more on women and children, especially girls to bring them at par with other members of the family.
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Recommendations
Removing policy distortion
There is a need for a continuous review of macro-economic framework to remove the policy bias against agriculture. Policy distortions not only depressed the prices for major crops but also resulted in large price variations between years. There is a need to evolve a policy that keeps this variation within narrow bands. There is a need for government to rationalize public investment as this encourages private investment in agriculture.
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References
1. Rome Declaration on World Food Security and World Food Summit Plan of Action, 13-17 November, 1996, Rome 2. Article, Business Recorder, Karachi, October 16, 2004 3. Food Insecurity in Rural Pakistan 2003, World Food Program (WFP) Pakistan, SDPI, Islamabad 4. United Nations Statement on Food Security in Pakistan 2000, United Nations System in Pakistan, Islamabad 5. Mazhar Arif, Land, peasants and Poverty: Equitable Land Reforms in Pakistan, 2004, The Network Publications, Islamabad 6. United Nations Statement on Food Security in Pakistan 2000, United Nations System in Pakistan, Islamabad 7. Economy survey of agriculture 2010-11, federal.gov.pk 8. National Coordinated Wheat Program, Briefing Paper, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (NARC), Islamabad 9. Economy survey of agriculture 2010-11, federal.gov.pk 10. Economy survey of agriculture 2010-11, federal.gov.pk 11. Economy survey of agriculture 2010-11, federal.gov.pk 12. Economy survey of agriculture 2010-11, federal.gov.pk 13. Dawn-October 07,2011 14. Dawn-October 17,2011 15. Economy survey of inflation 2010-11, federal.gov.pk 16. Inflation monitor, October 2011, State bank of Pakistan 17. Economy survey of inflation 2010-11, federal.gov.pk 18. Economy survey of inflation 2010-11, federal.gov.pk 19. Economy survey of inflation 2010-11, federal.gov.pk 20. Economy survey of inflation 2010-11, federal.gov.pk 21. World Bank, Rural Poverty Report on Pakistan, April 2007 22. United Nations Statement on Food Security in Pakistan 2000, United Nations System in Pakistan, Islamabad
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