World Food Day 2022 event held: Call to make efforts to increase production, control food wastage

ISLAMABAD: The flooding in Pakistan has further augmented food insecurity and malnutrition; therefore, there is a need to make efforts to increase production as well as control food wastage.

Speakers said this while addressing the World Food Day 2022 event organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) along with the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN-Women, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), and the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R).

They said that the restoration of flood impacts, food security, and climate change are big challenges, therefore, more commitment and collaboration are mandatory for the restoration and rehabilitation of flood-affected people as well as the transformation of agriculture systems in order to increase the production of crops in the country.

With the increase in production better nutrition, a better environment and better life could be ensured for everyone, they said.

Julien Harneis, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations (UN) in Pakistan, while speaking on the occasion, highlighted the importance of food and how every celebration in life revolves around food. He stressed the fact that many people do not have enough to eat and particularly after the floods, food insecurity and malnutrition are rising as existing vulnerabilities are intensified.

“We as a nation must address food wastage, not only at an individual household level but also in how we produce, process, and store food in Pakistan. As we go forward with the efforts of reconstruction and rehabilitation, we must ensure that building better and more efficient food systems is included in that process”, he said.

Zafar Hassan, Secretary of MNFS&R said that the damages caused by flood to Pakistan’s agricultural sector would also be felt across the globe. Pakistan is one of the world’s top producers and exporters of cotton and rice, which have been destroyed by the floods, he said.

He further said that agriculture has special importance for Pakistan’s economy, which at present is contributing about 19 percent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and generating employment opportunities for more than 35 percent of the labour force. Currently, we are facing serious challenges for food and nutritional security that needs enough resources and funds to compensate for the loss of crops and livestock to our farmers, he said.

The secretary said that his ministry is making serious efforts to meet these challenges in an effective manner. In order to provide relief to the farmers and uplift the agriculture sector, the government is devising farmer-friendly policies, focusing on strengthening seed system, enhancing farm mechanisation, promoting value addition, minimising post-harvest losses and creating digital marketing platforms, he said. The event was attended by representatives of the international community, UN organisations, civil society, students, and relevant government departments.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022