Attention on pockets of food insecurity, hunger
Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder (left); Public Service Minister, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley (second from left); Resident FAO Representative, Dr. Gillian Smith and Minister of Business, Haimraj Rajkumar checking out some of the exhibits at the World Food Day exhibition (Adrian Narine photo)
Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder (left); Public Service Minister, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley (second from left); Resident FAO Representative, Dr. Gillian Smith and Minister of Business, Haimraj Rajkumar checking out some of the exhibits at the World Food Day exhibition (Adrian Narine photo)

— as Guyana observes World Food Day 2019

AGRICULTURE Minister, Noel Holder said while government remains committed to safe and healthy diets, there are still pockets of food insecurity and hunger that need to be addressed.

Guyana is a food secure country but there are still communities and areas that need attention, said Minister Holder in his address to mark World Food Day 2019 at the new Agriculture Complex, La Bonne Intention (LBI), on Wednesday.

“I wish to emphasise the importance our government is placing on the development of agriculture in its pursuit to contributing to ensuring a healthy nation… we recommit our actions to a zero-hunger world by 2030,” said Minister Holder.

Guyana’s position on making zero hunger a possibility was in keeping with the theme for World Food Day 2019: “Our actions are out future, healthy diets for a zero hunger world”. The country is working closely with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to achieve its goals.

In addition to making zero hunger a possibility, government intends on keeping a close watch on the rise in health problems related to malnutrition. In order to address this, Minister Holder said there needs to be availability and affordability of healthy diets.
“Given the significant amount spent annually on health problems related to malnutrition, strategies and policies to ensure the availability and affordability of healthy diets are essential for the food and nutrition security of our citizens,” said the minister.

School children were among the participants at the World Food Day 2019 Agricultural Exhibition at the Ministry of Agriculture Complex (Adrian Narine photo)

The importance of his message was compounded by what was said by Resident FAO Representative, Dr. Gillian Smith, who said a local study had found that 40 per cent of the adults in Guyana are obese.

She said it was also reported that the direct and indirect costs of treating Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) was just over $220 million annually. Dr. Smith said there is a rise in NCDs and it is threatening to erode the most important capital in Guyana, human capital.

In order to address this, she said individuals need to think about their food choices and eating patterns, through awareness and learning.
That particular solution was part of a World Food Day message from Director General of the FAO, Qu Dongyu.

Dr. Smith, who made reference to Dongyu’s speech, said the world needs to address all forms of malnutrition because the latest data shows that malnutrition is increasing across all regions and income groups.

“World Food Day 2019 calls for action to make a healthy and sustainable diet accessible and affordable to everyone. For this, partnerships are fundamental and farmers, government, researchers, private sectors and consumers all have a role to play,” said Dr. Smith.

Farmers need better incentives to increase and diversify production of high-quality food while government needs to adopt food standards and regulations that prioritise the availability and affordability of nutritious foods.

In addition, Dr. Smith said research institutions need to provide the best scientific advice and the private sector should adopt modern nutritional recommendations.
“FAO supports its member countries in their effort to make sustainable healthy diet a reality for all…. Food system transformation requires strong political commitment for collective synergies and holistic design of agriculture and food chains,” said the FAO representative.

This, she said, is among the main objectives of the Hand-in-Hand initiative which the FAO is about to launch for match-making partnerships among public and private sectors, along with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

Added to the stakeholders’ views on the way forward, were over 45 information booths which were on display during the World Food Day 2019 celebration. There were booths from the University of Guyana, the FAO, the Carnegie School of Home Economics and other organisations.

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