Food self-reliance

Over 10m Pakistanis face acute food insecurity; experts urge urgent agricultural overhaul

It is heart-wrenching to note that Pakistan, despite being an agrarian state, is well behind the threshold of self-reliance in food security. A host of reasons – from non-mechanised farming to low-quality seeds, apart from the drastic implications of climate change – are responsible for this perturbed state of affairs. Water scarcity, salinity and waterlogging, as well as lack of educational opportunities for farmers, are also among the contributory factors.

Thus, the 2026 Global Report on Food Crises – which says that more than nine million Pakistanis face 'crisis' conditions, and another 1.7 million are in the 'emergency' category – should come as a serious warning. It's time to prepare a contingency plan to ward off this crisis, besides laying out a roadmap for attaining self-sufficiency in agriculture on a war-footing basis.

Pakistan has been on the receiving end in terms of extraordinary monsoon rains, floods and drought over the last few years. The country's agricultural mosaic is not in order, and a lot of research and technological input is desired to make use of vast swaths of land that are barren, or where appropriate seasonal produce is not planted.

Moreover, cash crops such as sugarcane, rice, wheat and cotton should be harvested on a synchronised model to bring appropriate payback to the farmers. This will come as a bonanza in overcoming the discrepancies that are faced every year with crops getting rotten on farmlands. Last but not least is a policy in conformity with climate change, wherein crops, livestock and grain storage, as well as sophisticated logistics, take precedence over market-related exigent affairs.

As the Global Report on Food Crises has flagged Pakistan among the 10 countries where acute food insecurity is most concentrated, it cannot be left for another day to debate. Three of its provinces have been named in the report for lacking infrastructure and adequate grain production measures, which is worrisome and poses a question mark on governance. It's time to optimise yield per acre and diversify the plantation pattern to do away with crop deficiencies. This is why the country has become a prime importer of food grains and other auxiliaries, and this tendency must come to an end.