KARACHI, April 17: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has expressed serious concern over the World Food Programme (WFP) report on food shortage in developing countries, including Pakistan.

The FPCCI president Tanvir Sheikh in a statement on Thursday called for immediate measures to tackle the expected crisis.

The WFP has issued an extraordinary emergency report on the world food crises, which says that a rapidly escalating global food crisis has reached alarming proportions and threatens to wipe out seven years of progress in the fight against poverty. The FPCCI leader called for short-term emergency measures in many regions to meet the urgent food needs to avoid starvation and urged for longer-term efforts to significantly increase production of food grains.

According to a FPCCI research report the world inventories of rice and wheat have significantly increased in the last few months and the demand and import of storable food items is also increasing rapidly.

He said that in Pakistan agriculture sector was considered as a major part of the real sector economy. The share of agriculture in GDP declined from 60 per cent in 1951 to 21 per cent in 2007. It is an indicator that now Pakistan is no longer an agricultural economy.

The lower productivity in agriculture sector and the migration of rural population to urban centres are the major causes of the declining share of agriculture sector in the economy.

The FPCCI president called for the development of agriculture not only for the overall economic growth but also for a balanced development.

It is also necessary for the industrial development as many important industries in the country depend on the agriculture sector. Textile, sugar, tobacco, fertiliser, food and beverages are those industries, which are largely dependent on the productivity of the agricultural sector.

Mr Tanvir proposed that Minfal, Planning Commission and ECC should jointly prepare an action plan to avoid the possible impact of expected crisis and a long-term strategy to increase the agricultural productivity.

He assured that the private sector would cooperate and participate in every strategy formed to fulfil the national cause.

The FPCCI research department is preparing a comprehensive report on the severity and incidence of the food shortage crisis in developing countries and its possible impact on Pakistan. The report, which will be released next week, will highlight the possible solutions in alternative scenarios.-—APP