THERE is no universally accepted definition of food security, generally it is perceived as secure access to suffi-cient and affordable nutritious food. Such conditions for food security can be assessed on any scale, from a sin-gle household to the global population. Food insecurity indicates only the risk of hunger, not necessarily its presence. By contrast, chronic food insecurity denotes a constant condition of hunger. Famine is the extreme state of food insecurity; it exists where a series of hunger indicators, including mortality are evident. The first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) falls short of food security aspirations in seeking only to reduce by half the proportion of the world’s hungry. Political promises to eradicate hunger date back to decades but not materi-alised in many countries.
Current global per capita food production exceeds the FAO threshold. Yet still the number of people lacking access to the minimum diet has risen from 824 million in 1990, to around 1000 mil-lion, according to an estimate. It may be pointed out that development agencies point out that efforts to combat hunger place too much emphasis on quantity rather than quality of food. The absence of vital protein and micro-nutrients such as iron and iodine impairs the ability to learn and reduces resistance to disease, especially in young children. That is why one third of child mortality is attributed to malnutrition. Over 1000 million people experience the hardship that hunger imposes, a figure which continues to rise even amidst the riches of the 21st century. As world food prices scale new peaks, food insecurity and famine once again dominate humanitarian headlines, barely three years since the last crisis.
Amid population growth, economic instability and climate change, food security presents a formidable challenge for national and global governance. Here a million dollar question arises that should Pakistan develop a wheat export market or should it remain focused on food security. The debate has gripped agricultural circles across country with arguments and counter-arguments. Many argue that Pakistan should just consider clearing the current glut. Many still consider Pakistani wheat non-competitive in the world market. The recent floods not only revitalised soil but also saw influx of aid in shape of certified seed and fertiliser. These factors are hard to be repeated again. Even then, the addition was of only two million tons. Pakistan, in four years, would need additional two million tons of wheat every year to feed its population. According to statistics, three million more mouths are added to the population every year while it is projected that the total digit would touch 250 million by 2050.
Over 500,000 tons of more wheat is required every year to feed the additions. The export is therefore almost out of question. The country should consider ways to feed people rather than plan export. In the Global Hunger Index 2010 developed by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Pakistan ranked as a country that faces ‘serious hunger’ threat, sliding towards alarming and extremely alarming situation. In our country of the pure, 85 per cent farming families own less than 12.5 acres and 95 per cent of them less than 25 acres, where would the surplus come from on permanent basis to ensure sustainability of the niche in the international market is a question that remains to be answered. All these fami-lies have been cultivating wheat for the subsistence requirements since long.
They are not expected to produce marketable surplus that can be exported. The additional wheat that five per cent big farmers produce would soon sink in the sea of population. In the current season, sowing is getting late. Even with the start of December, Sindh is still struggling at 35 per cent of sowing target and Punjab at 63 per cent. The current pressure for export has been generated by temporary spike in production and stocks, especially with the cost of stocks becoming unbearably high for governments.
Wheat price has been raised again by over 10 per cent, making it incompati-ble in the international market. With the current price, Pakistani exporters may lose Afghanistan as soon as routes from Central Asia are cleared. With free wheat trade, Pakistan may soon see millers importing cheap Russian wheat and further reducing domestic market after mixing. There is a need to save domestic market through import ban on wheat rather than looking for share in the world market. With all subsidies gone, high taxes and costly inputs, policymakers should struggle to keep terms of trade in favour of farming communities.
The fact dishearten many that two billion people lack food security while the number of people in world who are overweight has surpassed the number who are undernourished which only shows the concern of developed world towards underdeveloped.
Current global per capita food production exceeds the FAO threshold. Yet still the number of people lacking access to the minimum diet has risen from 824 million in 1990, to around 1000 mil-lion, according to an estimate. It may be pointed out that development agencies point out that efforts to combat hunger place too much emphasis on quantity rather than quality of food. The absence of vital protein and micro-nutrients such as iron and iodine impairs the ability to learn and reduces resistance to disease, especially in young children. That is why one third of child mortality is attributed to malnutrition. Over 1000 million people experience the hardship that hunger imposes, a figure which continues to rise even amidst the riches of the 21st century. As world food prices scale new peaks, food insecurity and famine once again dominate humanitarian headlines, barely three years since the last crisis.
Amid population growth, economic instability and climate change, food security presents a formidable challenge for national and global governance. Here a million dollar question arises that should Pakistan develop a wheat export market or should it remain focused on food security. The debate has gripped agricultural circles across country with arguments and counter-arguments. Many argue that Pakistan should just consider clearing the current glut. Many still consider Pakistani wheat non-competitive in the world market. The recent floods not only revitalised soil but also saw influx of aid in shape of certified seed and fertiliser. These factors are hard to be repeated again. Even then, the addition was of only two million tons. Pakistan, in four years, would need additional two million tons of wheat every year to feed its population. According to statistics, three million more mouths are added to the population every year while it is projected that the total digit would touch 250 million by 2050.
Over 500,000 tons of more wheat is required every year to feed the additions. The export is therefore almost out of question. The country should consider ways to feed people rather than plan export. In the Global Hunger Index 2010 developed by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Pakistan ranked as a country that faces ‘serious hunger’ threat, sliding towards alarming and extremely alarming situation. In our country of the pure, 85 per cent farming families own less than 12.5 acres and 95 per cent of them less than 25 acres, where would the surplus come from on permanent basis to ensure sustainability of the niche in the international market is a question that remains to be answered. All these fami-lies have been cultivating wheat for the subsistence requirements since long.
They are not expected to produce marketable surplus that can be exported. The additional wheat that five per cent big farmers produce would soon sink in the sea of population. In the current season, sowing is getting late. Even with the start of December, Sindh is still struggling at 35 per cent of sowing target and Punjab at 63 per cent. The current pressure for export has been generated by temporary spike in production and stocks, especially with the cost of stocks becoming unbearably high for governments.
Wheat price has been raised again by over 10 per cent, making it incompati-ble in the international market. With the current price, Pakistani exporters may lose Afghanistan as soon as routes from Central Asia are cleared. With free wheat trade, Pakistan may soon see millers importing cheap Russian wheat and further reducing domestic market after mixing. There is a need to save domestic market through import ban on wheat rather than looking for share in the world market. With all subsidies gone, high taxes and costly inputs, policymakers should struggle to keep terms of trade in favour of farming communities.
The fact dishearten many that two billion people lack food security while the number of people in world who are overweight has surpassed the number who are undernourished which only shows the concern of developed world towards underdeveloped.
