India responsible for Pakistan’s food security problems: PEW

Lahore: The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Monday said India remains the biggest threat to Pakistan’s food security situation.

Almost sixty per cent of Pakistanis are facing food insecurity among which majority are women and children confronting hunger due to India’s water terrorism, it said.

Policymakers to chart out a wide-ranging food security plan to tackle widespread poverty, increase yield and foil Indian efforts to make Pakistan a desert by building controversial dams, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President PEW.

He said that some of the so-called nationalist politicians continue to oppose construction of mega dams to help New Delhi fulfil her unholy designs against Pakistan.

Dr. Murtaza Mughal said that the performance of agricultural sector is not satisfactory,national food security policy is yet to be presented in the  Economic Coordination Committee, there is deficiency of surface water for irrigation and ground water level is decreasing in many parts of the country.

The crop yield is not reasonable, area under cultivation is on the decline, ample water is not available, fuel, electricity, fertilizer and other inputs are costly and loans remain a dream for most of the farming community while rising population is pushing country towards an acute crisis, he said.

Research and development in the agriculture sector remains absent, development of new crop varieties remains disappointing while plans to educate farming community remains mostly on paper which are some of the reasons behind deteriorating situation.

India provides heavy subsidies on fertilisers and inputs in addition to free electricity which helps Indian Punjab get 100 per cent extra per acre farm produce as compare to Pakistani Punjab.