KARACHI: Affordable and nutritious food, a basic human right, is a very reasonable and sagacious goal for any government, but is far from being met in developing countries like Pakistan.
Soaring food prices and falling purchasing power is mocking our social and political stability resulting in sparking riots and civil disturbance. It is the poorest of the poor who have to spend more than 80% of their meager income on food.
The leap in prices is affecting food income in terms of quantity, quality and spending. They have reduced their food intake by forgoing spending on health and education and selling their assets.
The upper middle class consumer is shifting to a cereal-based diet away from higher quality food groups like meat, dairy products and vegetables. This is a very alarming situation as
World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned G20 leaders in a recent summit at Paris that the world is reaching a danger point where soaring food prices threaten further political instability.
This is a time to move from talk to action. This is a time to make the right policy choice that may ensure food accessible to the most vulnerable simultaneously helping producers to raise their output and increase their income.
Many factors have contributed to the dramatic increase in food prices. At the international level, it is because of expansion in bio-fuel and record increase in oil prices.
In Pakistan, it is due to distorted policy responses leading to a long decline in agricultural investment resulting in limited capacity to produce more that has put food prices and supply in turmoil.
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