Food shortages

The UN has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected 210 countries around the world with 1,918,679 cases of infection and 119, 212 deaths currently reported could also result in a lockdown of the food supply system. While the agency and its Food and Agriculture Organization has said that at the moment there are no food shortages, and stocks are available in markets, it is warned that the disruption occurring to the system of supply could result in food insecurity and put a strain on the complex systems which tie together farmers, agricultural inputs, processing plants, shipping, retailers and more.

The problem is not one of food scarcity. Rather it is one of the drastic measures put in place to halt the spread of the virus also preventing food from reaching people who need it. These measures include the closure of borders, restriction of movements and disruptions in shipping and aviation. This means it is harder to move food internationally and already there are reports of cargo ships carrying large loads of foods being unable to dock at any port because many countries have closed down ports and airports. Around the world, thousands of aircraft have been grounded and the systems usually used to bring food into countries have in some cases ground to a virtual halt. The discovery of the Covid-19 infection aboard a US Navy ship, and the death of one sailor aboard it as a result also means countries will be more cautious about allowing ships to enter their territory. Efforts are currently on to sterilize the vessel and others, but this is obviously a difficult task. Internally within countries there are also problems with maintain food supply networks.

In Pakistan, there have already been discussions on how to transport loads of harvested wheat to warehouses and how to bring labour to areas where wheat is waiting to be cut. The Sindh government also suggested at the National Coordination Committee meeting that no food be exported this year given the uncertainty over production, transportation and supply as well as their inability to predict how much would be produced next year. The hoarding and black-marketing of food have added to the problem for people in the country as costs rise sharply, and the prime minister will need to deliver on his promises to effectively tackle this problem. Pakistan is among those fortunate countries which produce enough food to feed its people. However, nations which depend on food that must be transported into their countries with few alternative food sources available to them are high risks. The world will need to work together to solve the problem and ensure no one in any nation goes hungry because of the grounding of airlines and ships containing food, medicines and other essential products. The UN has said it will be devising a strategy on this aimed at protecting the poor in the world and we must hope that this plan will be effective so that a food catastrophe on a gigantic scale can be avoided.