Pakistan wastes food worth ₹32,000 crore a year while the poor fight for flour in the streets: Report

Alarming visuals of people fighting in the streets over flour and even dying in stampedes at distribution centres, are a glimpse of Pakistan's food inflation which has hit 47 per cent. Apart from a climate change-induced food crisis and price rise, India's neighbour also faces the threat of a water shortage in months to come.

Even amidst these trying times, a report by Pakistan's Food Security Ministry has revealed that food worth $4 billion or Rs 32,744 crore.

Foodgrain rejected from the supply chain

• This means that Pakistan has been wasting 26 per cent of the food its farmers produce, amounting to 19.6 million tonnes of grains going down the drain.

• Most of this happens because the produce isn't the right size and colour, this is why majority of the food is thrown out of the supply lines.

• Food in kitchens is also wasted after expiry dates, in the country which has been facing food insecurity ever since it was devastated by floods last year.

Trying to bridge the gap via policies

• With an eye on ensuring food security at all costs, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also working on the implementation of a Kissan scheme.

• The amount of wastage despite a shortage of food also sheds light on inequality in the country, where 20 per cent people own 50 per cent of the wealth.