Food insecurity: a real threat to Pakistan.

• Author: Aijaz, Urooj

Byline: Urooj Aijaz

So called agriculture country in food crisis, why

Pakistan is essentially an agricultural country given the percentage of agricultural products it exports and the people employed in this sector. Pakistan has rich and vast natural resource base, covering various ecological and climatic zones. About 27 percent of Pakistan's total land area is under cultivation.

Agriculture accounts 21 percent of GDP and employs 41 percent of labor force and a vital sector of Pakistan's economy. The agriculture sector directly supports the three-quarters of country's population, employs half the labor force, and contributes a large share of foreign exchange earnings. The irrigation system in Pakistan is considered to be the world largest irrigation system. In spite of all these available resources we are still facing food shortage in Pakistan.

Food is a basic requirement of human being and without it people unable to survive. In all over the world, problem of food shortage is increases day by day. Different factors are involved in food shortage.

While environmental pollution and degradation present additional challenges for Pakistan to improve its future food security. Major environment issues include water pollution from raw sewage, industrial waste, and agricultural runoff, rising deforestation, soil erosion and desertification.

The agriculture GDP growth rate in Pakistan was only 1.5 percent in 2007, significantly lower than the population growth rate (Pakistan National Income Statistics 2008). In 1989-90 to 2004-05 average growth rate was 2.3 percent (Pakistan National Income Statistics 2007). On the other hand it is estimated that average GDP growth rates in fast growing middle-income countries average 4-6 countries.

According to Pakistan Economic Survey 2005-06; GDP of cotton is 10 percent and of rice is 6 percent. One of the basic reasons of food crises in Pakistan is soaring prices due to gap in demand and supply of edibles and the pressure resulting from population increase has also worsened the environmental and resource problems. Between the 1970s and the 1980s, Pakistan experienced very high population growth (over 3.0 percent per annum). In the early 1990s, the growth rate dropped below 3.0% but was still above 2.5 percent.

In addition, there has been a shortfall of investment in agriculture infrastructure and research and development (RandD), leading to limited innovation in the agricultural sector. Antiquated farming methods...