PESHAWAR
\nWith birds chirping in canopy trees signaling the dawn of a morning at village Dheri Mian Ishaq on River Kabul, the sunrays cast warm glow on mud house of Azhar Khan, a determined fruit and vegetable seller.
\nTaking control of family business in 2020 in a difficult financial situation after tragic death of his father due to cardiac arrest, Azhar, 35 started selling organic products at Chamakan market in Peshawar.
\nHe daily brings fruits and vegetables to this market from hometown in Nowshera district on rickshaw, toiling hard like many others to defeat poverty.
\nBraving all odds in his early days of business, Azhar was now all smiles after seeing people\u2019s overwhelming response to organic fresh fruits and vegetables, useful in combating malnutrition especially in children and lactating mothers.
\nKhan sells a variety of organic fruits and vegetables including guava, grapes, apples, peaches, ladyfinger and ridged gourd to cater to rising consumers\u2019 demand for quality nutritious food and balanced diet.
\n\u201cAs winter approaches, the demand for organic produce surges,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes I had to visit twice to Chamkani for more fresh fruits and vegetables.\u201d
\nHe is not alone in this business as thousands others cultivating fruits and vegetables play a key role in promoting organic food at a time when millions of Pakistani are prey to mal-nutrition, especially the kids and youngsters.
\nThousands of the families in the province are now inclined to use pesticides and chemicals free organic food for better health.
\n\u201cBalanced diet has critical role for better health,\u201d remarked Dr. Riaz Khan, a child specialist at the Government Hospital Pabbi Nowshera. \u201cBalanced diet helps in combating malnutrition, particularly among children, lactating mothers and elderly citizens.\u201d
\nHe said healthy dietary practices must start from infancy with breastfeeding infants and then in early childhood to raise a healthy generation.
\nDeclaring malnutrition as silent killer, Dr Riaz said it poses a significant threat to children health and cognitive development besides affecting their physical growth.
\n\u201cWe rank second in the region with our 40% of children affected by this tendency due to socioeconomic imbalances, poverty and lack of excess to quality medical treatment,\u201d he claimed.
\nScores of children especially in less developed districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa including merged tribal districts, Tank, Batagram, Kohistan and Chitral do not meet essential micronutrient needs due to high rate of poverty.
\n\u201cStudies indicated that majority of children face calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin A deficiency,\u201d Dr Riaz stated also mentioning that about 50% children suffering from vitamin C and iron deficiency.
\n\u201cIron deficiency affects nearly half of children under five and leads to developmental delays and increased chances of pneumonia and other fatal ailment due to weaker immunity,\u201d he informed.
\nAs per National Health Survey of Pakistan report, one in three children are malnourished, with nearly 40 percent facing stunting and low weight at birth and five years of age. The root causes of malnutrition are stated to be repeated use of unbalanced diets, vivacious poverty and limited access to healthcare and food insecurity.
\nDarya Khan, Provincial Coordinator at Nutrition International, Peshawar said the Government was encouraging organic farming to address challenge of malnutrition especially in children and pregnant mothers. He noted that people who consume inorganic foods regularly are more susceptible to various health issues. \u201cPromoting home-based agriculture can significantly improve nutrition level of Pakistani populace.\u201d
\nThe longevity of life and health of communities in remote areas, such as Hunza and Swat, illustrated the benefits of organic and balanced diets.
\nThe cultural shift toward organic food cultivation is gaining traction in urban centers like Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi as organic farming has experienced an annual growth rate of 15% in Pakistan over the past decade.
\nThe phenomenon of malnutrition also has its economic effects with Dr. Naeem Khattak, former Chairman of the Economics Department, Peshawar University reveals that Pakistan suffered approximately three billion dollar annual losses due to micronutrient deficiencies.
\n\u201cStunting in children and pregnant mothers increased in KP due to increasing poverty rate after 2022 floods that affected agriculture and livestock immensely.\u201d
\nHe called for urgent intervention like promoting sustainable agricultural practices, enhancing women\u2019s access to education and income, and strengthening healthcare systems besides financial support to poor families during pregnancies for better mother-child health.
\nMeanwhile, Dr Ihtesham Ali, advisor to Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Health, highlighted the government initiatives to promote balanced diet and combat malnutrition.
\nUnder the Ehsas Nashonoma program, he said financial support is provided to poor families, with special focus on girls and lactating mothers.
\n\u201cRs2500 per month for newborn girls and Rs2000 for newborn boy are provided to poor parents for two years and health record is maintained of beneficiaries to monitor growth and health of children under two years.\u201d
\nThe CM aide said promotion of healthy diets and sustainable agriculture farming practices was imperative to defeat stunting.
\n\u201cBy prioritizing nutrition and investing in food, education and healthcare, we can achieve the common goal of healthy generation.\u201d
\nTherefore, it is a shared responsibility of the whole nation to collectively fight out this menace affecting health of our younger generation and exerting extra burden on our kitty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR With birds chirping in canopy trees signaling the dawn of a morning at village Dheri Mian Ishaq on River Kabul, the sunrays cast warm glow on mud house of Azhar Khan, a determined fruit and vegetable seller. Taking control of family business in 2020 in a difficult financial situation after tragic death of his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":437051,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-437037","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n