ISLAMABAD: United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), on Tuesday recommended for transforming the local agri-food system in order to reduce the its hidden cost to ensure quality nutrient-filled food for everyone. Addressing the launching ceremony of FAO report on the 2023 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA), Country Representative Ms Florence Rolle said that per capita food consumption in Pakistan was estimated at 1$ per day, which was costlier and consuming more resources. She said that despite an agrarian economy Pakistan was still importing food commodities worth $9 billion per-annum. FAO was striving hard to reduce hidden costs of food with the collaboration of different stakeholders and bringing efficiencies to reduce costs of production, said Assistant FAO Representative (Programme) Dr. Amer Irshad. Meanwhile, the FAO unveiled the staggering hidden costs of current agri-food systems, reaching an alarming $10 trillion annually, nearly 10% of the world’s GDP. DNA
