Webinar held on population and food security

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) and Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) jointly organised a webinar on “Population and Food Security”, a statement said.

The webinar was part of the Grand National Dialogue (GND) series being planned on a number of pertinent issues. Earlier events on the subject have been held in Peshawar, Wah and Sargodha.

University of Turbat, Department of Environmental Sciences’s Dr Haneef Ur Rehman was of the view that the agriculture sector of Balochistan needs to be revamped with modern technical practices.

Lasbela University, Marine Sciences Faculty’s Dean Dr Muhammad Aslam said that 34.7 million hectre land in Balochistan is cultivated, which accounts 6 per cent of the total province area.

Smart agriculture practices along with appropriate research design need to be employed to increase the agriculture productivity, he added.

Gwadar University Pro Vice Chancellor Dr Manzoor Ahmed called for a strong governance structure amidst the water scarcity in the province, as 70 per cent of Balochistan is water scarce.

There is a need for water management policy, he said, adding that the plants which consume higher levels of water should not be grown in water scarce areas, while the use of agricultural land for housing schemes should also end.

On the poor socio-economic indicators, the participants reiterated that the development efforts should be geared towards coherent and sustainable policies, where the locals need to be made part of the development phase.

Historically, Balochistan has been a less populated area. Due to the area’s topography and lack of economic opportunities, people have preferred to migrate in search of better quality of life.

When people move to rural areas, they become part of the consumer community. Thus, migration is increasing the number of consumers while the producers’ in rural areas are becoming less, which is resulting in the loss of food production.

Balochistan Council for Peace and Policy President Mir Sadaat Baloch said that migration in Balochistan is primarily due to the economic considerations and security environment. Due to these factors, people have migrated to other provinces and abroad, he remarked.

With less number of people, the investor loses interest in the province. The migration trends have political implications as well, as around 30 per cent people have migrated to Karachi from Panjgur.

This has lessened the provincial seats of the Baloch people, he said, adding that the smuggling of rice and flour to neighbouring Afghanistan is one of the major causes of food insecurity in Balochistan.

IRS President Ambassdor Nadim Riyaz said that the issues of water scarcity, food insecurity and population have been further aggravated due to poor governance.

Population management, water management and research driven practices are needed to address the prevailing challenges and the locals need to be involved in the policy making, he concluded.

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