ISLAMABAD [Pakistan], In recent months, farmers have taken to the streets in protests across Pakistan following the government's decision to reduce wheat procurement quotas. The epicenter of these protests is Sindh province, which is famous for its early crop yields. However, two months after the end of this year's wheat crop, the impasse continues, with ARY News reporting that "the government had set a fixed rate for purchasing wheat and was not to distribute bags of wheat directly to farmers However, some officials of the food department are allegedly selling these bags to small-scale traders in return for which they take bribes,” revealed Akram Khaskheli, president of the Sindh-based Hari Welfare Association. In an interview he stressed the consequences of government mismanagement and warned that food insecurity could increase despite wheat being available.Significant procurement of wheat by the government at the minimum support price, typically about 20 percent of production or 5.6 million tonnes, plays an important role in ensuring market stability. However, the current crisis coupled with climate change has thrown Pakistan's agricultural sector into turmoil. The crisis is linked to the massive floods that hit Pakistan from July to September 2022, which submerged one-third of the country's districts. A confluence of climate factors, including warming seas, resulted in this extreme rainfall event, which significantly affected 15 percent of Pakistan's crop, according to reports by ARY News from people like Johi in Dadu district of Sindh province. The impact of floods continues in the areas. For many seasons. Forty-four-year-old farmer Talib Gadehi, who owns 350 acres of agricultural land with his brothers, said he struggled to cultivate the land for four consecutive seasons in two years. “An estimated 100,000 acres of land was affected by the collapse of the barrage,” Gadehi lamented. Expressed that this situation has triggered mass migration from the area.According to a January 2024 analysis by Food and Agriculture, these adverse conditions contributed to Pakistan falling from 99th place in the Global Hunger Index in 2022 to 102nd in 2023. The organization's poverty rate rose from 34 percent in 2022 to 39 percent in 2023, primarily due to high food prices, further straining the purchasing power of vulnerable households, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification reported, with more than 1 million people Wheat faced high levels of acute food insecurity between April and October 2023 Wheat, which accounts for 72 percent of Pakistan's staple food, plays a key role in addressing food security and inflation. However, the caretaker government installed ahead of 2024 national elections opted to import wheat in 2023 to ease food shortages and rising prices. Unfortunately, by the time the decision was taken, the agricultural sector had become overcrowded, resulting in oversupply and subsequent protests by farmers. said Muhammad Arif Goheer, head of the agriculture, forestry and land use section of the Center for Global Climate Change Impact Studies in Islamabad.Despite domestic availability, high prices made grains inaccessible to the poor. While imports pushed wheat prices well below the minimum support price, it sparked discontent among farmers expecting a prosperous season after enduring two years of hardships “The final solution to address food inflation and security Precision Agriculture Goheer stressed, however, that Hari Welfare Association's Khaskheli highlighted the lack of assistance provided to farmers in adopting modern agricultural practices. By the end, producers have been left helpless. They face barriers in accessing quality seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, forcing them to sell their crops at below-market rates, ultimately affecting crop yields and food security, Khaskheli said. Expressed regret over the protests and said Pakistan's disappointing ranking on the Global Hunger Index underlines the important role of agricultural policies in ensuring food security and social stability. While Pakistan has made commendable progress in wheat production over the years, the world Ranking as the 7th largest producer at the level, but average wheat yield remains modest. Compared to leading countries like New Zealand, Bashir Ahmed, director of the Institute for Climate, Energy and Water Resources under the federal Ministry of National Food Security and Research, identifies climate change as a growing challenge hindering productivity in the agricultural sector, he said. Explained how heavily Pakistan's dependence on irrigation, 60 percent to 70 percent of which is derived from snowmelt and glacier melt, has been disrupted due to global warming and climate change, affecting both the quantity and timing of water availability. Are happening.And short duration rains are leading to soil erosion and hampering rain-fed agriculture in areas like Potohar and northern areas. “Studies show that yields, especially of rain-fed crops like wheat, are reduced by 6-15 per cent due to changes in rainfall patterns. This reduction does not account for the adverse impact of heat waves and floods ,'' Ahma said that in cold areas like Gilgit Baltistan, early ripening of fruits like oranges has become a prevalent issue due to insufficient cooling hours. Moreover, the reduction in irrigation water supply has led to reduced water supply. According to the report, dependence on groundwater in Punjab is leading to a decline in groundwater levels, Zafar Ali Khokhar, director of agricultural sciences at the Wheat Research Institute Saqrand Sindh, proposed that local seed varieties could potentially double wheat production levels. However, challenges remain in ensuring availability o Quality seeds “Our institute has developed wheat yielding varieties of 80 maunds per acre proven through consistent use.However, it is the responsibility of responsible producers to ensure adequate seed supply. At present, only 30 per cent of the total seed demand is of high-yield wheat seeds provided by the government or private companies,'' revealed Khokhar, Amer Hayat, member of the Prime Minister's Committee on Agricultural Yield Improvement in 2023 Bhandara stressed on urgency. Emphasizing on the interconnected challenges of climate change, Bhandara said, “If previous governments failed to prioritize providing modern technology, techniques and access to farmers, despite their immense importance in the agriculture sector, now these aspects need to be addressed. It is necessary to give." Faulty policies, and inadequate support mechanisms for farmers are pushing Pakistan towards food insecurity, urgent and concerted efforts are needed to comprehensively address these issues and safeguard the country's agriculture sector and food security, ARY New told.