Global Hunger Index Score: Pakistan slips to 26.1 from 38.1; ranks 99th among 121 countries

Pakistan’s score on Global Hunger Index (GHI) has dropped from 38.1 in 2006 to 26.1 in 2022, revealing the extent of the crisis that gripped the country and its people, Dawn reported.

The Pakistan chapter of the Global Hunger Index (GHI) released the data on July 25, 2023. The GHI ranked Pakistan at the 99th position out of 121 countries surveyed. The GHI, in a statement, said armed conflicts, climate change, and the novel coronavirus pandemic combined to force as many as 828 million peo­ple to go hungry, Dawn reported.

“As things stand, 46 countries will not even achieve a low level of hunger by 2030, much less eliminate hunger entirely. In Africa, South of the Sahara and South Asia are once again the regions with the highest rates of hun­ger. South Asia, the region with the world’s highest hunger level, has the highest child stunting rate and by far the highest child wasting rate of any world region,” the GHI statement added.

The GHI is a pre-reviewed annual report jointly published by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide which aims to raise awareness of the struggle against hunger.

Aisha Jamshed, country director of Welthungerhilfe, said her organisation worked to assist food-insecure communities and build resilience in cooperation with the civil society, government and private sector.

Shafat Ali, director of the Local Government and Community Development Department (LGCDD), Punjab, said he highlighted the issue to ensure citizens’ participation, action, and oversight, and consider the local context in the transformation of food systems, according to Dawn.

Stakeholders at all governance levels were urged to harness local voices and capacities. Communities, civil society, small producers, farmers, and indigenous groups, with their local knowledge and lived experiences, should shape how access to nutritious food is governed, the report added.

Hunger in Pakistan

Almost 17 per cent of Pakistan’s population is suffering from undernourishment. Children are the worst affected. Around 40 per cent of children under the age of five undergo stunting or have low height due to malnutrition and undernourishment. The child mortality rate is a staggering 6.5 per cent.

According to the World Food Programme (WPF), a survey conducted in 2018 showed that 3.9 per cent of the Pakistani population faces food insecurity. Apart from Children, women are also among the most vulnerable and economically challenged portion of the population.

Reasons-

The devastating floods in the summer of 2022 have further destabilised rising inflation and poor economic situation. According to Pakistani government officials stated that these flash floods have devastated and damaged 80 per cent of Pakistani crops. This number has major ramifications of the country, where people, on average, spend 50 per cent of their income on food.

The State Bank of Pakistan proclaimed that the foreign reserves to 4.3 billion dollars, which is barely enough to buy three weeks of imports. Even after the pledges of 10 billion from the international community to help in Pakistan’s economic recovery have failed, the supply chain shortages in almost everything ranging from medical supplies and soybean kept prices high and the people suffering.

Wheat is the staple diet of an average Pakistani. The prices of wheat have skyrocketed partly due to a decrease in wheat from Ukraine due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War. Wheat and flour have become so scarce in Pakistan that armed police have to guard food distribution trucks. At one point, the desperation led to a severe stampede led to the death of a person.

Support from Humanitarian Entities

To combat these challenges, organisations such as the Action against Hunger and Islamic Relief are tackling hunger in Pakistan. These organisations are promoting kitchen gardening and helping farmers to grow crops that are resilient to all types of weather conditions.

The organization also provides communities with knowledge and information on new techniques to grow vegetables. More than one million people in the aftermath of the floods were supported by these two organisations.