Pakistan: Inflation causes hike in food prices, impacts lower income group

Islamabad [Pakistan] August 12 (ANI): Inflation in Pakistan has caused an increase in food prices in the country, worsening conditions of lower-middle-income households, local media reported.
In a country like Pakistan, where most families spend over half their income on food, the increasing cost of transport, petrol, electricity, and indirect taxes have raised valid concerns about the potential escalation in hunger, poverty, and malnutrition, Dawn reported.
While Food Price Index that includes five commodity group price indices -- cereals, vegetable oils, sugar, meat and dairy, pointed to more difficult times ahead for Pakistan as it shows that global food prices were 31 per cent higher in July than a year ago.
But Islamabad's indifferent view on the troubles of low-middle-income families that are already struggling with a substantial reduction in purchasing power and loss of jobs has added to the misery of people.
Earlier, Pakistan's Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet had approved an increase in rates of sugar, wheat flour and ghee (butter) at the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) of Pakistan.
According to the World Bank (WB) estimate, poverty in Pakistan has increased from 4.4 per cent to 5.4 per cent in 2020, as over two million people have fallen below the poverty line.
Using the lower-middle-income poverty rate, the World Bank estimated that the poverty ratio in Pakistan stood at 39.3 per cent in 2020-21 and is projected to remain at 39.2 per cent in 2021-22 and might come down to 37.9 per cent by 2022-23, reported The News International
Meanwhile, reports have also suggested that most of the prominent cities in Pakistan do not have safe drinking water for citizens, according to data presented by the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government at National Assembly.
While experts said that a famine-like situation may arise in Pakistan due to the scarcity of water across the country if the issue is not resolved timely, Geo News reported. As per the report, water scarcity in the country has set alarm bells ringing after rivers have dried up due to low rainfall. (ANI)