The Pakistan Food Security Bulletin is produced by the Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) Unit of the World Food Programme as a contribution to periodic food security monitoring in the country.
Highlights
Total wheat production in Pakistan in 2015‐16 has been estimated at 25.5 million metric tons (MT), slightly higher than the 2014‐15 level of 25.1 million MT, showing a positive growth by 1.58 percent.
Production of rice, the second main staple crop of Pakistan, has been estimated to be about 6.8 million MT milled basis, slightly less than the 2014‐15 production of 7.0 million MT, showing a negative growth by ‐2.7 percent.
Household economic access continues to be the major constraint, with 66.7 percent of households being unable to afford the minimum staple‐adjusted nutritious diet with their current food expenditure.
Staple food prices have remained stable. Prices of wheat and wheat flour in June 2016 negligibly increased by 1.0 percent and 2.0 percent, respectively, compared to the same time a year ago (July 2015).
Significant progress has been noted in the return of displaced populations, with some 163,000 families have returned to their areas of origin during the period of March 2015 ‐ June 2016. However, 146,500 families are still remained in displacement, whereas the Government has announced a complete return by end of 2016.
Situation Overview
In 2015‐16, wheat (main staple) harvest of Pakistan stood at 25.5 million MT, slightly higher than the 2014‐15 level of 25.1 million MT, while production of rice, the second main staple crop of Pakistan, has been estimated to be about 6.8 million MT milled basis, slightly less than the previous year’s production of 7.0 million MT.
Limited food access remains the main constraint of household food security. According to a Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform (MoPDR) and WFP joint report on Minimum Cost of the Diet study (CoD, 2016), two‐thirds (66.7 percent) of Pakistani households are unable to afford the nutritious diet with their current food expenditure. The latest report of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, UNDP and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) suggests that every four out of ten Pakistanis live in multidimensional poverty.
On a positive note, food prices, particularly of staples have stabilized over the last year, thus easing pressure on economic access, especially for the poor and food insecure households. With the improvement in law and order situation, a significant number of displaced populations have been returning to FATA, with some 113,000 families reported to have returned in 2015 and 50,000 families in the first half of 2016. However, 146,500 families are still remained in displacement.