Agricultural Policies and Food Security in Pakistan

On May 21, 2010 Dr. Syed Wajid H.Pirzada spoke as a panelist at the National Institute of Management( former Pakistan Administrative Staff College- http://www.pasc.gov.pk/) Lahore on Food Security policies of Pakistan, in the context of national agricultural policies.
Dr.Pirzada in his discourse highlighted the gaps in policies and underscored the need for more holistic and integrated approach.
He opined that in Pakistan food security is equated with availability of wheat only , which was not a realistic approach, though wheat contributes 40-50 percent of the caloric intake and per capita wheat consumption is around 120-130 kg per annum. The access to food ( a function of purchasing power) and food utilization (a function of health & hygiene and health competence) also need to be addressed, alongside food availability( with added emphasis on food diversity), he added.
He told the participants that wheat demand in the country in the recent years has decreased by 10 percent inter alia because of food inflation.
He also underlined the need for integrating water & livelihood security in the national food security paradigm, maintaining that water & livelihood security is intrinsically linked to the food security.