Pakistan faces widening fruit, vegetable supply gaps as over 60% cannot afford healthy diet, UN agency says

A Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) policy assessment says Pakistan’s food supply is increasingly out of step with nutritional needs. From 2010 to 2023, estimated vegetable deficits grew to 13 million to 21.6 million tonnes, while the fruit gap reached 3.9 million to 14.3 million tonnes. More than 60% of people in Pakistan cannot afford a healthy diet, the agency says, linking affordability concerns with undernutrition and diet-related diseases.

The report says cereals and sugar are available above dietary benchmarks, while supplies of milk products, meat and eggs have improved; fats and oils moved into the estimated required range after a modest deficit in 2010. It also notes that population rose to 235.2 million in 2023 from 189.3 million in 2010 and could approach 330 million by 2050, adding pressure alongside climate change. FAO proposes redirecting agricultural investment toward nutritious crops, improving distribution and reducing waste, and using measures such as nutrition labels, food taxes and updated dietary guidance.