Pakistan’s food crisis is structural

Pakistan is in the grip of food insecurity and poverty: 21 per cent of its population is undernourished, and approximately 45 per cent of the population is poor according to the World Bank.

Looking at these outcomes together reveals that one is responsible for spreading the other. Poverty breeds food insecurity, and food insecurity in Pakistan is largely due to unaffordability. In the recent budget, the BISP allocation has risen approximately 20 per cent, from Rs592 billion in FY 2024–25 to Rs716 billion in FY 2025–26, increasing the recipients to one crore.

While apparently a raise in funding under BISP and reaching out to more people may help reduce the poverty incidence, measures introduced in the current budget fall short in reducing food insecurity – and it may increase due to several steps suggested in the budget. This makes it urgent to examine how the FY2025–26 budget would impact food systems and the food security landscape of Pakistan.

On June 10, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb proposed a budget of Rs17.57 trillion for FY26, with a projected inflation rate of 7.5 per cent and an economic growth rate of 4.2 per cent. Food insecurity is a multidimensional matter shaped by policies and budgets allocated to trade, agriculture and taxes. As per the definition of food insecurity, a person is food insecure when they lack regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life.

Agriculture is the bac