Background

Natural and manmade disasters have battered Pakistan’s agriculture sector:-

• In 2005, a massive earthquake devastated the Pakistan Administered Kashmir, claiming the lives of some 80 000 people, destroying crops and damaging irrigation systems.

• Several districts of Punjab and Sindh were affected by flash floods in 2007

• Earthquake struck drought-prone Baluchistan in 2008.

• Conflict has also taken a toll on the sector. The escalation in fighting between government forces and armed groups in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas in recent months forced over two million people from their homes. Most have since returned home; however, damages to crops and livelihoods were extensive 2009.

In 2008, high food prices pushed millions more into hunger, with nearly half of the population now facing food insecurity as rising prices, unemployment, frequent power cuts and shortages of basic food supplies such as flour and limited water resources have compounded the misery for many

MGR

Pakistan crying out for roti is so obvious it need not even be stated.

The price of a bag of flour has increased tenfold with millions of Pakistanis unable to enjoy their most basic of fundamental rights – food.

MGR team is providing free roti’s to the poor in the city of Lahore; this project is run daily for 2 hours in early evening.

Hundreds of people queue to receive their roti’s in an orderly fashion, with the help of the local police. Each person is entitled to 2 roti’s each and the project runs until all the rotis are given away or the two hour period ends.

This helps the local poor people with some help with food for their evening meal, as many are now struggling to have an adequate meal.