Floods cause acute food insecurity among 6m in Pakistan: WB

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: At least six million people faced acute food insecurity across Pakistan after the disastrous floods, a recent report issued by the World Bank said.

“According to the World Food Programme (WFP), 6 million people (30 The Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC) has officially approved the increase in the number of seats for admission to Gomal University’s Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences and the development has been widely welcomed by the employees of the university.

“The efforts of Vice Chancellor Gomal University Professor Dr Shakibullah and In-charge of veterinary faculty Prof. Dr Kamal Shah have paid off as the PVMC, in its 52nd meeting held at Islamabad, has formally approved enhancement in the number of students to be admitted into faculty of veterinary and animal sciences of Gomal University,” said a university spokesperson. It is to be noted that since the veterinary and animal sciences faculty of Gomal University which is currently in financial straits, is considered to be one of its income-generating programs and this development has been widely welcomed by employees with their hopes rekindled that the university would now soon come out of the economic difficulties.

Gomal University Vice-Chancellor Professor Prof Dr Shakibullah said that the decision applied to the current admissions and thanked the Pakistan Medical Veterinary Council on behalf of the university’s employees for accepting such a request and enabling the university to enrol more students in the said programme. He said that it was a welcome development which would open up opportunities for more students who were willing to join the faculty and serve the country after completion of the programme.

On top of it, the VC said it would also help the university tide over the current economic situation which has currently posed challenges for management.er cent of the population analyzed) experienced acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3+), and this was projected to increase to 8.5 million between September and December 2022″, the World Bank’s Food Security Update (January 2023) said. In Pakistan, floods killed more than 11 million head of livestock and destroyed more than 9.4 million acres of cropland between June and August 2022 in the most food-insecure provinces of Balochistan and Sindh, the update added.

The Update added that the food inflation in Pakistan has also increased significantly. The food inflation rose from 8.3% in October 2021 and 15.3% in March 2022 to 31.7% in September 2022 and then 35% in December 2022. The high incidence of climatological shocks, depletion of foreign currency reserves, and depreciation of local currencies keep food inflation high and make healthy food less affordable in South Asia.

“In December 2022, year-on-year consumer price inflation for food prices was 7.9 per cent in Bangladesh, 7.4 per cent in Nepal, 35.5 per cent in Pakistan, and 64.4 per cent in Sri Lanka. Last summer, floods caused by higher-than-normal monsoon rains in some parts of South Asia and less-than-normal rainfall in other parts have widely disrupted food production”, the update added. (APP)