Tackling food crisis

ALTHOUGH the shortage of food commodities and their skyrocketing prices is not a phenomenon confined to Pakistan alone and a fairly large number of countries are in its tight grip, had our policymakers devised sound policies aimed at making the best use of the rich land and water resources that once made the region the granary of undivided India, we would have been able to keep ourselves largely immune from its adverse impact. Rather, they would have enabled Pakistan to export surpluses and earn valuable foreign exchange. However, to meet the dreadful prospect of empty stomachs for want of wheat flour available at affordable rates, we should waste no time and adopt both short- and long-term measures.