60% of people face food insecurity

Call for promoting food processing industry to address the challenge.


Our Correspondent April 17, 2013
The country is losing 40% of food in post-harvest handling because of traditional ways of preservation, says Hussain. PHOTO: FILE

FAISALABAD: Pakistan is facing food shortage as 60% of its people are regarded as food insecure and this requires scientists, food experts and other stakeholders to take immediate steps to address the challenge effectively.

These were the views of Government College University Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Zakir Hussain, who was speaking at a ceremony held to mark the inauguration of a sales point “Green Foods”, set up by the Department of Food Sciences, GCUF.

The sales point will offer jams, drinks and other food products prepared by the department.

Hussain said the country was losing 40% of food in post-harvest handling because of traditional ways of preservation, which could be overcome by applying international standards.

He asked all stakeholders to devise a roadmap to tackle the problem, create awareness among people of the benefits of balanced food intake and help establish a proper food industry. “Malnutrition is caused by lack of knowledge of balanced food and poverty,” he said.

Hussain pointed out that deficiency of Vitamin D and Vitamin B existed in many people, leading to malnutrition and diet could play a major role in overcoming it and for making people lead a healthy life.

Talking about wheat – a staple food for the country, he said the commodity accounted for 60% of the daily diet of common man.

Giving her suggestions, Faculty of Science and Technology Dean Professor Dr Naureen Aziz Qureshi said the country should promote the food processing industry for producing quality food for the people.

Incharge Department of Food Sciences Dr Muhammad Umair Arshad Bajwa, while highlighting that food insecurity was one of the major challenges, urged food experts to sit together to map out a comprehensive plan to deal with the problem.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18th, 2013.

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COMMENTS (2)

Ali | 10 years ago | Reply

Pakistan has top 10 position in most eatable fruits and commodities around globe.The need to improvise plan how to manage food supply and demand.One thing more add, rather than to export fruits which are scarce and price of those fruits escalates ultimately, responsibility of Govt. to make check and balance.

Touseef Ahmed | 10 years ago | Reply

Involvement of high human capital, orthodox style of agriculture, very small land farms and unavailability of water and power are main causes of expensive agricultural produce. Believe it or not our agricultural products are very expensive.

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