ISLAMABAD: The PTI government on Tuesday pledged to make Pakistan a ‘zero hunger’ country, as self-sufficiency in food has been achieved and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) have set a target for a ‘zero hunger world’ by 2030.

At an event to observe World Food Day at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Minister for National Food Security and Research Sahibzada Mohammad Mehboob Sultan said he hoped that zero hunger would be possible by 2030 with political will, public participation and the right combination of policies and technical and financial support to farming communities, to increase productivity, minimise losses and improve smallholders’ well-being.

An integrated approach and the transformation of food systems is needed to achieve the vision of a world free from hunger, malnutrition and rural poverty, he said, and the government faces enormous challenges to realise this. These five challenges are continued population growth, degradation of natural resources - water being the most important, climate change, resource conflicts and increasing urbanisation.

“Food is in our basket and we have to make it available to all as per the theme of food day, which is ‘Our Actions are Our Future - A Zero-Hunger World by 2030 is Possible’,” he said.

Mina Dowlatchahi, a representative of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said at the event that all stakeholders have to continue to play their roles to achieve zero hunger in Pakistan. She added that it was encouraging to see Pakistan taking steps in the right direction to reach this goal.

The first National Food Security Policy and the water policy provide a framework for action, putting emphasis on agriculture diversification and value addition, resilient climate smart agriculture and water management, improved livelihoods of smallholder farmers and tenants, safe drinking water and a national zero hunger programme.

When contacted, a senior food security and research ministry official told Dawn the ministry is finalising an action plan in coordination with the provinces to implement the national food security policy approved by the last government.

National Food Security and Research Secretary Hashim Popalzai said agriculture researchers should increase their efforts to cope with the emerging challenges of our time, such as climate change. Climate change adaptation and mitigation has significant importance for poverty reduction.

World Food Programme Country Director Finbarr Curran warned that despite improvements in many areas, Pakistan still faces significant challenges. Between 2004 and 2016, undernourishment fell from 23.3pc to 19.9pc, but in the same period the number of undernourished people rose from 35.7 to 37.6 million.

One of the major challenges faced by Pakistan is not the lack of food, but rather the lack of nutritious food. Pakistan is a large producer of rice and wheat, but this alone cannot guarantee a nutritious diet for citizens, he said.

University marks World Food Day

At a seminar held in connection with World Food Day, speakers emphasised the production, equal distribution and management of food by curtailing food waste.

They said Pakistan is self-sufficient in food production, but efforts are required for equal distribution and fair management.

The seminar was held at the Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi.

The university’s vice chancellor, Prof Dr Sarwat N. Mirza, was invited as the chief guest. Other participants included Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America Country Director Prof Dr Javaid Aziz Awan, former Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research member Dr Sakhawat Ali,National Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad,Director General Prof Dr Tahir Zahoor, District Food Controller Ejaz Sial, Rawalpindi Additional Deputy Commissioner Saima Younas and deans, directors and students from the university.

Speakers said the per capita availability of water has declined significantly since 1951, and would reach 860 cubic meters by 2025 if sound actions are not taken.This would take Pakistan from a water stressed country to a water scarce one.

They also discussed various interventions regarding the zero hunger theme for this year’s World Food Day that would help save the lives of 3.1m children annually, increase the GDP of developing countries by 16.4pc and build a safe and more prosperous world.

Dr Mirza said Pakistan is an agricultural country producing enough food for the nation, but faces situations such as hunger, water shortage and malnutrition.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2018