KATHMANDU, JUNE 19

Food insecurity and undernourishment are deepening in South Asia, including Nepal, according to the Global Food Policy Report-2023 prepared by the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of Nepal Narayan Kaji Shrestha unveiled the report amid a function here today. According to the report, in Afghanistan,30 per cent people suffered from undernourishment between 2019 and 2021 followed by 17 per cent in Pakistan, 16 per cent in India, 12 per cent in Bangladesh, six per cent in Nepal, and four per cent in Sri Lanka. Likewis,e during the same period, Afghanistan recorded 23 per cent severe food insecurity, Nepal around 13 per cent, Bangladesh approximately 11 per cent, Pakistan around eight per cent and Sri Lanka nearly two per cent.

During 2017-2019, Nepal witnessed slightly over 10 per cent severe food insecurity.

Similarly, deterioration in economic conditions during the COVID pandemic led to substantial increase in poverty, with 48-59 million people estimated to have become the new poor in 2021, particularly in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

COVID-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine War, various natural disasters, energy crisis, global rise in prices of food, petroleum products and fertiliser, and political instability were mentioned as contributors to increasing food insecurity in the entire South Asia.

'Recovery and development of food systems in South Asia face multiple challenges. Although spillover effects from the Russia-Ukraine war have not been large, South Asia has been affected by the global rise in food, fuel, and fertilizer prices. Food prices have risen sharply, contributing to food insecurity. In September 2022, the year-on-year consumer inflation rate of food was 66 per cent in Sri Lanka, 36 per cent in Pakistan, and about 8 per cent in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal,' the report states.

In 2022, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan had banned the export of foodstuffs, mainly rice, wheat and sugar due to high inflation and food shortage. As per the report, inflation in Pakistan and Sri Lanka is attributed mainly to macroeconomic instability and mismanagement, especially the sharp devaluation of their currencies, and the fertiliser ban in Sri Lanka.

The report identifies climate change as one of the reasons behind falling agricultural production in many countries.

'Threats from climate change loom especially large for many countries, especially those in Africa. Climate change is rapidly intensifying, increasing pressure on food systems, rural livelihoods, and ecosystems. While some places may benefit from a longer growing season amid rising temperatures, changing weather patterns and advancing desertification have reduced average growth in agricultural productivity by as much as 21 per cent since 1961.'

A version of this article appears in the print on June 20, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.