This article was first published by “The News International” and is reproduced here with acknowledgment. 

In a small village of district Sukkur of Pakistan, a 37-year-old single mother Horran Mai has turned a small solar-powered wheat mill into a lifeline for her family. The mill grinds whole grain nutritious flour made from zinc-enriched wheat, offering one of the most affordable ways to address widespread micronutrient deficiencies in Pakistan.

Living with her elderly parents and two school-going daughters, Horran Mai had long struggled to make ends meet. With limited job opportunities in the village, supporting her family and keeping her daughters in school had become increasingly difficult.

Her circumstances began to improve when she received a solar-powered wheat mill and training through a women’s empowerment initiative by HarvestPlus Solutions, under Expanding Nutrients in the Food Systems project supported by the Government of Canada through HarvestPlus. 

Today, the small solar chakki outside her home provides grain-grinding services to villagers, earning her a modest but steady income. Alongside the service, she also supplies nutritious flour made from zinc-enriched biofortified wheat to her community.

“I tell people that this whole-grain wheat flour, prepared from zinc-enriched wheat, is healthier and helps children grow stronger,” said Horran Mai. “My community is now eating more nutritious food, and the income I earn helps me send my daughters to school and care for my elderly parents.”

Her efforts reflect a broader shift across Pakistan’s wheat-growing regions, where farmers are increasingly adopting climate-smart, zinc-enriched biofortified wheat varieties developed by local scientists to improve both yields and nutritional value.

Among the widely grown varieties are Zincol-2016, Akbar-2019, Nawab-2021, Tarnab Rehbar, and Tarnab Gandum-1, which contain 40–50 percent higher levels of zinc than conventional wheat. Developed through conventional plant breeding, these varieties naturally contain more zinc without altering the taste or cooking qualities of wheat widely consumed in Pakistani households.

Zinc is an essential micronutrient that supports immunity, growth, and development. Health experts say zinc deficiency remains widespread in Pakistan and is linked to stunted growth in children and weakened immunity.

Experts estimate that more than 50 million Pakistanis may suffer from some degree of zinc deficiency, making biofortified wheat an affordable and sustainable strategy to improve nutrition through a staple food.

Pakistan has made significant progress in scaling up the production of zinc-enriched wheat across the country. During the 2024-25 cropping season, 42 percent of the wheat cultivation area was planted with the zinc-enriched variety Akbar-2019 alone.

Cultivation expanded further during the 2025–26 season, with about 205,000 metric tons of certified biofortified zinc wheat seed planted across millions of hectares. A nearly equal quantity of farm-saved seed was planted in addition to this.

The crop is expected to produce more than 16 million metric tons of zinc-enriched wheat grain this season, accounting for over half of Pakistan’s annual wheat requirement.

Training programmes supported by HarvestPlus Solutions and partner institutions have also accelerated adoption. During the 2025–26 cropping season, more than 12,000 smallholder farmers — including over 6,000 women — received training on improved cultivation practices, efficient use of crop inputs, preventing post-harvest losses, product development, and nutrition awareness.

For Horran Mai, the impact is immediate and deeply personal. The solar mill now helps her support her daughters, care for her ageing parents, and promote healthier food in her village.