Islamabad: More than 1,77,000 children in Pakistan die before their fifth birthday due to malnutrition, according to the country’s minister for food security.
Micro-nutrient deficiencies are widespread in Pakistan and have profound effects on immunity, growth and mental development of children, Dawn newspaper reported.
Syed Fakhar Imam, Pakistan Minister for National Food Security and Research, said that more than 50 million people in Pakistan had inadequate zinc intake which was an important micronutrient for our health.
He made these remarks while attending the ‘Addressing Zinc Deficiency through Biofortification of Zinc Wheat’ on Wednesday.
“In Pakistan, with the collaborative support of HarvestPlus, three biofortified wheat varieties which are high in zinc have been released for general cultivation in the country,” he was quoted as saying by Dawn. He added that “with our joint efforts, biofortified zinc wheat varieties have been cultivated on 360,000 hectares this year”.
Fakhar Imam said that more than 1.6 million metric tonnes of biofortified wheat grain production were expected with the current crop at the time of harvest.
“Biofortification is progressing well in Pakistan and has great potential to help reduce zinc deficiency and stunting in the children of our country,” he said.
Malnutrition and dietary factors contribute towards increased morbidity and mortality, said Sanaullah Ghumman, general secretary of Panah.