Surplus stock

Pakistan is an agricultural economy with the largest irrigation system. It has been producing surplus amounts of wheat, rice, potatoes and other major crops for years. Bumper crops for multiple years have become a headache for both the government and farmers due to their surplus stocks in stores and open spaces. The farmers face difficulty in striking a favourable price, amid a global glut. Simultaneously, with the high cost of producing crops, farmers need a certain price for their business to be sustainable. The support price announced by the government is barely enough. The government has failed to figure out how to utilise the stock it has bought. To address this issue, the government has been taking a number of steps including offering a handsome subsidy package on wheat exports.

However, there are no systematic and coordinated efforts on the government’s end to address the food insecurity issues of its marginalised population. Around 15 percent of the population under the age of five is acutely malnourished. Close to 43 percent children (around 10 million) face stunted growth and are chronically malnourished most of them situated in Fata, Balochistan and Tharparkar. According to several experts, the problem is not due to food production, but poverty and illiteracy, in addition to a systematic channeling from production point to end consumer that bars people from accessing food and consequently deprives them of the required calories and nutrition. To address the issue, the vulnerable population needs subsidised food and support by channelling the food supply through different welfare programmes, with a coordinated and holistic approach to ensure that all possible steps to deliver the required food to the marginalised population are taken. Such drastic mechanism will not only help reduce food insecurity, but also help utilise the surplus stock of crops.

Iqra Jamal

Karachi