Islamabad, Oct 17 (IANS): Millions of Pakistanis were facing food insecurity due to high food prices, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said and added that the government was aware of the challenge.

"The food insecurity caused by high food prices is an issue that, unfortunately, is faced by millions in Pakistan," Gilani said in his message on the occasion of World Food Day observed every year Oct 16.

He said the day "highlights the growing trends of high food prices and its impact on the most vulnerable".

Pakistan has a population of about 180 million.

"Pakistan has experienced high volatility in food prices, particularly in the last two years, after the devastating floods that have washed away standing crops, eroded thousands of acres of agricultural land and critically impacted the farming community in the country," Associated Press of Pakistan quoted him as saying.

The prime minister said: "In such critical times, the objective of achieving food security assumes greater importance and urgency."

"It is absolutely essential that at the national and provincial level, sensitivity and awareness about food security gets translated into implementation of policies that would address shortage of food, particularly in the more vulnerable segments of the population where women and children in the rural areas suffer the most from malnutrition," he added.