Author/Authors :
Arifullah, Shahnaz A. NWFP Agricultural University - Institute of Development Studies, Pakistan , Yasmeen, Ghazala University of Peshawar - College of Home Economics, Pakistan , Zulfiqar, Muhammad Kohat University of Science and Technology, Pakistan , Chishti, Anwar F. NWFP Agricultural University - Department of Agricultural Economics, Pakistan
Abstract :
An adult member of the households, surveyed in Dheri Baghbanan (Rural Peshawar, Pakistan) during 2006, consumed on average 340.39 grams of flour, 43.05 gram of meat, 484.41 grams of vegetables, 36.07 grams of rice, 27.80 grams of pulses, 115.45 grams of fruits, 35.23 grams of fats, 156.44 grams of milk, 51.64 grams of sugar/gur and 5.46 grams of tea per day. This provided a total of 2412 calories per day to an adult person. Wheat flour contributed the major proportion (1187.95 calories), followed by fats (315.08), sugar (197.85), vegetables (176.48), milk (167.79), rice (131.30), meat (88.22), pulses (71.35), fruits (59.64) and tea (16.01). When compared with previous studies carried out in different areas of NWFP, the food consumption in the study area in terms of calories (2412) seems higher than the estimates of some of the studies, where calorie intake ranged between 2084 to 2392 and lower than that of some others, where the estimates ranged between 2510 to 3384 calories. When compared to national and international levels, the study area’s calorie intake is about equal to Pakistan’s average (2431) for 2000-02, but is lower than the world, developed countries, developing countries and Asia the Pacific region countries’ averages, which, respectively, are 2803, 3314, 2667 and 2674 calories per capita per day. With the exception of a very few studies, this and other studies have shown the NWFP per capita calories intake at a very low level – a level just close or a little higher than the poverty line. Since a person requires 2350 calorie daily, he/she is considered on or above poverty line if he/she gets this level of calorie generating food consumption; he/she is considered below poverty line if he/she gets less than 2350 calories. The ratios computed as Calorie Intake/2350 provide the measuring rod to decide who is on, above or below poverty line. For the present and previous studies, these ratios have been found as 1.03 for present study, compared to 1.39 of Tarnab, 1.44 of Shabqadar, 0.9980 of urban Peshawar, 1.02 of Dargai, 1.07 of Dir and 0.89 of Bajour. Majority of studies have placed NWFP on or a little above poverty line. These facts point out the importance of measures aiming at to increase food production and its availability so that food consumption is enhanced and poverty reduced
Keywords :
Food consumption , Calories intake , North West Frontier Province , Pakistan , Poverty line
