Islamabad: US and Pakistani officials have said a potential food crisis, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, the ever-rising inflation, and the devaluation of rupee “is a real concern in Pakistan”.

Participating in a discussion through a web-link between Washington and Islamabad, the officials also underlined the need for an evaluation and monitoring mechanism to curb corruption and mismanagement in post-flood reconstructions, reports Dawn News.

“Yes, it does,” said Paki­stan’s ambassador in the US Masood Khan, when the moderator, Adam Weinstein, described the challenges confronting Pak­istan as “a perfect storm” and asked if it worried Islamabad.

“We were directly affected by the Ukraine war. And it led to the shortages of wheat and fertilisers that we used to import from Ukraine,” said the ambassador. Since then, Pakistan was scrambling to get things right, but then came the floods and the situation worsened.

Khan said agriculture was important not only for food security, but also brought about $4.4 billion through exports.

“That’s why it has been a setback” for Pakistan, he said.