Experts Urge Pakistan to Strengthen Food, Tax and Dairy Systems
Participants at the policy dialogue included development specialists, policymakers and representatives of private companies. They said that about four in ten Pakistani children under five are affected by stunting and described the situation as a national emergency.
Noor Aftab, Pakistan, Middle East, North and West Africa director of corporate affairs, said reforms should improve the safety, affordability and availability of nutritious foods. He said nutrition security depended not only on the volume of food produced, but also on processing, packaging, storage, transport and distribution.
Aftab called for stronger food-safety legislation to support the manufacture and sale of safe, nutritious processed products. He also supported changes to fiscal and tax policy to help preserve access to nutrient-rich foods as inflation and weaker household purchasing power put pressure on consumers.
“Food may be nutritious, but it may not necessarily be safe to consume,” Aftab said. He presented food safety as the link between agricultural production and the people who buy and eat food.
The dairy sector was discussed as a source of both nutritional improvement and economic opportunity. Pakistan is among the world’s large milk-producing countries, but its average milk yield remains well below levels in leading dairy markets. The speakers said that higher farm productivity, more processing capacity and consistent safety standards could support farmer incomes, food security and the sector’s competitiveness. They also associated those measures with opportunities for industrial development and exports.
School-feeding schemes were cited as another instrument for reducing childhood malnutrition. Participants said that long-term investment in nutrition initiatives, alongside stronger food systems and cooperation between institutions, could produce wider health and economic benefits.
The panel said that action would need to cover incentives throughout food supply chains, workforce skills and the application of food-safety standards across the country. The discussion did not specify a timetable for the proposed reforms.
