Policymakers and development practitioners, while stressing the need for crop diversification, stronger governance, and improved affordability of healthy foods, have urged the government to shift its food policy from a calorie-focused system to a nutrition-sensitive and climate-resilient model.
The call was made at a consultation on ‘Integrated Roadmap for Sustainable Food Systems Transformation in Pakistan, organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here as part of a series of consultations held in Collaboration with United Nations Resident Coordinator Office, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, World Food Programme, World Health Organization, and International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Dr Sajid Amin, SDPI Deputy Executive Director, said the consultation sought to incorporate provincial realities and local knowledge into national policy planning.
He noted that similar consultations were being held across the provinces to develop actionable policy recommendations for ensuring food security while improving nutritional outcomes.
Sitara Gill from Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said the programme seeks to enhance the availability of nutritious and healthy food while promoting dietary diversity and strengthening food security across Pakistan.
Highlighting a significant mismatch between the country’s food supply and nutritional requirements, she said certain food categories are available in excess of dietary needs, particularly grains & cereals, fats & oils, and sugar while nutritionally important food groups such as fruits and vegetables fall significantly short of dietary requirements.
Despite sufficient calorie supply, she maintained, nutrition indicators remain alarming: 40.2 per cent of children under five are stunted, 28.9 percent underweight, and 17.7 percent wasted while 24.3 percent of the population faces moderate or severe food insecurity.
She also noted that 43 per cent women in reproductive age suffer from anemia, and only 27.6 per cent meet minimum dietary diversity requirements.
Ms. Gill stressed that dietary patterns are increasingly shifting toward highly processed foods, with sales of sweets, snacks, and similar products, indicating an urgent need for policy interventions that promote healthier consumption patterns.
Dr. Asim Basheer highlighted the fiscal constraints affecting food system reforms and called for re-aligning public spending to support nutrition-sensitive interventions.
He recommended redirecting subsidies toward healthy foods, reducing taxes on nutritious items, and incorporating dietary diversity indicators into social protection programmes.
Dr Babar Shahbaz from University of Agriculture Faisalabad, said Pakistan faces a paradox of “calorie abundance but nutrition deficit.”
He noted that the country is among the world’s leading producers of cereals and milk but lags far behind the production of fruits, vegetables and pulses needed for a balanced diet.
He proposed a reform agenda built around five pillars: creating nutrition-sensitive food environments, promoting climate-resilient crop diversification, strengthening value chains and post-harvest management, adopting a “One-Health” approach linking human, animal and environmental health, and establishing data-driven governance mechanisms.
The plan also recommended improving cold storage infrastructure, reducing post-harvest losses, regulating ultra-processed foods, and building digital food system databases for better policy coordination.
Dr. Imran Khalid, presenting a political economy analysis of Pakistan’s food system, said national food policy remains heavily centered on wheat and sugar, with insufficient focus on sustainability, nutrition, and resilience.
He pointed out that powerful interest groups such as large landowners, mill owners, traders, and fertilizer lobbies often benefit from the current system and resist reforms that could diversify agriculture and improve nutrition outcomes.
He recommended shifting the government’s role from being a dominant market buyer to a regulator ensuring fair pricing and transparency, while prioritizing nutrition and climate-smart agriculture.
Dr. Zahid Mehmood, Principal Scientist at the Institute for Food and Agriculture, warned that directly taxing sugar could backfire without providing affordable healthy alternatives.
He stressed that stronger investment in research and development is essential to produce nutritious foods at lower cost.
Prof. Dr. Inayatullah Jan, Director of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Peshawar, said fiscal policies should incentivize nutritious crops rather than impose additional taxes on consumers. He noted that affordability remains central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring food access for all.
Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim, Group Leader at the Institute for Food and Agriculture, proposed promoting mushroom cultivation as a low-cost, nutrient-dense and climate-resilient crop suitable for small-scale and household production.
Prof. Muhammad Subhan Qureshi, President of the Dairy Farmers Association and former Dean of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Peshawar, said fragmented institutional responsibilities hinder effective food system management.
He recommended stronger coordination between research institutions, extension services, universities and farmer organizations.
Azmat Khan, representing civil society, said smallholders could play a major role in vegetable production but often suffer losses due to lack of market planning and storage facilities.
He suggested using improved agricultural extension services, better market information systems, and investment in cold storage to prevent market gluts and stabilise farmer incomes.
Kazim Shoaib, who is associated with a World Bank project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the province remains food-deficient with high poverty levels, meaning many households prioritize survival over balanced nutrition.
He emphasized that KP’s comparative advantage lies in horticulture and called for research, targeted policies and investment in horticulture-based food processing industries.
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