Govt set to avert food crisis after floods

Islamabad : The devastating floods have damaged some 65 percent of fertile land but still, the federal government is making necessary arrangements including the timely import of wheat to avoid a food crisis in the country.

The official record compiled by the federal ministries showed that some 3.6 million acres of fertile land have been damaged, which constitutes almost 65% of the major food crops. Almost 15% of rice crops and 40% of the cotton crops have been destroyed as the waters have wiped out the grain stores in different parts of the country.

The record stated over 92% of people consume wheat but its yield can now be imperilled as so much land has been decimated. Many farmers are concerned that their terrain would not be usable over the next couple of months. In southern Sindh province, the second largest wheat producer in Pakistan, some 50 percent of the fields remain underwater.

The United Nations International Children's Em­er­gency Fund (UNICEF) has stated that at least 3.4 million children require urgent humanitarian assistance and are at a heightened risk of malnutrition and waterborne diseases.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has warned that acute food insecurity is likely to worsen in parts of Pakistan due to the negative impact of floods and extremely high prices of basic food items, energy, and fuel. An official of the ministry of planning and development has said, “The government is mindful of the situation and wheat stock is enough to last through the next harvest. We are also making arrangements to import wheat from foreign countries like Russia.”