Pakistan ranks 106th out of 123 countries in the Global Hunger Index, meaning millions go to sleep hungry and consequently become malnourished.
According to a Unicef report, in Pakistan, four out of ten children under five years of age are stunted, with almost one in three children underweight (28.9%). These are big numbers, especially with such a huge population.
Beyond the poverty challenge, Pakistan’s agriculture is caught between two extremes: devastating floods and extreme heatwaves — both worsening with climate change. Each year, these shocks take a heavy toll on our key summer crops, causing losses worth billions of dollars.
Cotton suffers from boll shedding, poor fibre quality and pest outbreaks under scorching temperatures, while sugarcane loses sucrose and demands more irrigation when heat and water stress combine. Rice fields are frequently submerged during floods, destroying yields, yet the same crop becomes sterile when exposed to prolonged heat above 35 C. Maize, too, withers during dry, hot spells, losing up to half its yield. These alternating crises — either too much water or too little — are eroding the very foundation of Pakistan’s food security.
We have a real crisis at hand that isn’t getting the attention it merits. To counter this, we must invest heavily in agri-tech research and development. The future of our food system depends on developing climate-resilient crop varieties — seeds that can withstand both flooding and heat.
Imagine a rice variety that can survive two weeks underwater during peak flood season or one that thrives with less irrigation, helping preserve our groundwater reserves. Such innovations would not only reduce agricultural losses but also build resilience in the face of climate uncertainty.
This can be achieved by investing substantial resources in R&D. It won’t be a mega project that can be showcased and boasted about, but it will have a lasting impact on future generations. With over 255 million people in the country today, food demand is also rising fast. Many of these people are vulnerable to supply shocks, price spikes and scarcity. Without powerful, science-led adaptation, we risk turning from a food-producing nation into a heavily dependent consumer nation, further losing out on precious dollars, which we hardly have.
Post-harvest storage and transportation are equally vital. Research titled ‘Quality Deterioration of Postharvest Fruits and Vegetables in Developing Country Pakistan’ mentions that Pakistan loses nearly 35% to 40% of its fruits and vegetables before they even reach consumers, one of the highest post-harvest loss rates in South Asia.
This is largely due to poor packaging, rough handling, and the absence of cold-chain infrastructure. These losses translate to billions in wasted food, water, energy and farmer income every year.
A 2015 case study titled ‘An Econometric Estimation of Post-Harvest Losses of Kinnow in Pakistan’ conducted in District Sargodha, Pakistan’s leading citrus-producing region, revealed alarming inefficiencies across the kinnow value chain. Based on surveys and econometric analysis of 120 respondents, the study found that nearly 45% of total kinnow production is lost post-harvest — one of the highest recorded rates for a major cash crop.
Most of these losses occur at the farm level — around 32% — caused by poor harvesting practices, inadequate packing and rough handling during loading and transport. The wholesale stage accounts for another 11% due to poor road conditions, lack of cold storage and mechanical damage, while retail losses remain around 1% 2%.
This requires small but focused interventions – something as simple as guiding farmers to use scissors instead of plucking the kinnows can save a lot of the produce. For example, global and regional cases show this is fixable. In Bangladesh, USAID-supported pilots using plastic crates and simple cold storage reduced tomato losses from 30% to just 5.0% while increasing farmer incomes by 70%. In India, investment in cold-chain logistics cut post-harvest losses by 15% to 20% and boosted farmgate prices by nearly 40%.
Even within Pakistan, a FAO pilot in Gilgit-Baltistan introduced solar-powered cold storage units for apricots, reducing spoilage from 40% to 12% and creating new export opportunities for local growers.
Improving storage and transport infrastructure directly strengthens food security in multiple ways. It increases food availability without requiring more land or water, stabilises prices year-round, and helps small farmers earn fair returns.
Climate change goes far beyond planting trees and clean-up drives. If we truly want a sustainable and food-secure future, we must start addressing some of these problems as a matter of priority.
The writer is an advocate for youth empowerment, climate action and strengthening local governance.
Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this piece are the writer's own and don't necessarily reflect Geo.tv's editorial policy.