ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is facing formidable challenges to improving food security because of poor governance, lack of economic growth and instability within the country as well as on its borders, Asian Development Bank has said in a report.
The country has to overcome the challenges to achieve durable societal development outcomes, which are fundamental to stable economic growth and future food security, says the report titled “Food Insecurity in Asia: Why Institutions Matter”.
A country study on Pakistan incorporated in the publication, says: “Today, overall, Pakistan is in a comfortable situation in terms of food supply and availability, particularly for rice. It has self-sufficiency ratios (SSRs) for most food items of over 100 per cent. Yet, the country’s food security level is still low. This shows that a country’s ability to produce food is not a critical reason for a country’s food security or insecurity.
In the foreseeable future, Pakistan is most likely to continue to be subject to socio-political, economic and environmental volatility. Deep reforms and improvements in governance must be carried out soon to unleash the country’s growth potential.