Arooj Zulfiqar

The government of Pakistan is increasingly turning to innovative solutions to bolster accessibility, efficiency and resilience in food distribution systems to ensure food security. Talking to WealthPK, Dr Haroon Sarwar Awan, an economic consultant at the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, said the government had set up Pakistan Subnational Food Security Portal to significantly bolster the efforts to ensure food security in the country. According to him, introducing the portal marks a crucial moment in Pakistan's journey towards ensuring food security for its people. He emphasised that one of the most critical aspects of addressing food security challenges was having access to accurate and timely data. “The dashboard, with its comprehensive range of indicators and real-time updates, fills a crucial gap in this regard.” He said the portal served as a comprehensive tool for monitoring and analysing key aspects of crop production, including prices, stock levels, and overall production metrics. “By providing real-time data and insights into these critical variables, the dashboard enables stakeholders, from policymakers to farmers, to make informed decisions, optimise resource allocation, and address challenges related to food security and market stability effectively,” he said.

Dr Ghulam Sadiq Afridi, a member of social sciences wing at Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), while speaking at a seminar titled "Using Digital Platforms for Sustaining Food Systems", said that Pakistan had one of the most diverse and beautiful agricultural landscapes in the world. He added the country was ranked eighth globally in farm production. The seminar was organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute in collaboration with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). The Ministry of National Food Security and Research in collaboration with GAIN has established Pakistan Subnational Food Security Portal at PARC. Sadiq Afridi said this was a crucial step towards providing easy access to available data. He said that the food system dashboard contained different types of reports on nutrition and health. He added that the portal covered 226 indicators, including key ones related to drivers of the agriculture sector, crosscutting issues, food supply chains, environmental impacts and individual factors.

INP: Credit: INP-WealthPk