Food crisis can be addressed through agricultural reforms: Dr. Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri

Pakistan has joined the countries facing food deficits. Millions of people remain deprived of adequate and nutritious food. The World Food Program and Food and Agriculture Organization, the subsidiary organizations of the UN, have already warned of an impending food crisis hitting Pakistan. Our policy makers should immediately pay attention to this challenge.

Renowned economist and President of MQI Prof. Dr. Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri stated this in a special message on the World Food Day. He said that despite being an agrarian economy, our agricultural produce is unable to meet the needs of the increasing population, and resultantly, the country is having to import wheat worth billions of dollars. He said that the prospect of food insecurity is becoming omnipresent, stating that the high inflation has led millions of people to face food shortage. He said the situation demands urgent reforms to fix the agricultural sector, as the poor country like ours ill-affords spending precious foreign exchange on the import of wheat.

Dr. Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri said that there is a need to introduce a 10-year plan for the revival of agriculture with a focus on achieving water security. He said it is due to insufficient number of water reservoirs and waste of water that our annual agricultural yield is decreasing. He said that our agriculture has been hit hard due to floods and rains due to non-construction of dams. He said that the country can achieve the twin purpose of building dams: to store precious floodwater for agricultural use and mitigate floods during monsoon. He said if the urgency of agricultural reforms was not felt and action not taken accordingly, it will inflict heavier odds on the people.