World Bank and CDPR hosted a webinar in the Pakistan Development Policy series: Food Inflation & Market Interventions. The webinar took place on Thursday, August 26, 2021 from 4.00pm to 6.00pm.
The Pakistan Development Policy Series 2021 is a series of policy talks inviting discussion and debate on key reform areas critical to Pakistan’s economic, social and development growth. This session of the series focused on the nature of food price inflation in Pakistan, especially in the fresh produce and milk & meat market. The discussion centered on how the government can play a more facilitative and supportive role in maintaining food price stability, particularly in response to shocks like COVID-19.
The discussion was guided by focus questions:
1. What are the channels through which government intervention impacts food prices?
2. What are the key policy changes necessary for the government to play a more supportive role in ensuring stable prices and supplies?
3. How can the supply chains and the services provided by the transporters, middlemen, wholesalers, and retailers be improved?
4. How are supply and demand driven inflationary pressures in food markets managed in other countries?
