MAIL Celebrates World Food Day

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) celebrated October 16, 2019 World Food Day in a joint program with the ministries of Public Health, Energy and Water as well as World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Hashmatullah Ghafoori, deputy minister for irrigation and natural resources at MAIL, in the ceremony said that nearly 820 million people across the world face food shortage.

Mr. Ghafoori added that children constitute the largest population of the world's hungry. He said that poverty, war, adverse political conditions, inadequate policies, weak economy, and increasing immigration are major causes of food shortages or food insecurity in the world.

Mr. Ghafoori also stressed that about 1.3 billion metric tons of food is lost worldwide annually and that can feed nearly two billion people worldwide.

Ghafoori further stated that about half of Afghanistan's population also lack access to adequate food. He also stressed that as a result of last winter's rains, the situation in Afghanistan has improved and yields have increased.

He also said that the Ministry of Agriculture has made good strides in securing food security in the country. According to him, most of the ministry's activities are aimed at improving the nutrition as well as the growth of household economy throughout the country.

Mr. Ghafoori said that modernization of agriculture is one of the other activities of the Ministry of Agriculture. He said MAIL plans to cover 1.5 million hectares of new land for agricultural activities.

Meanwhile Dr. Feda Mohammad Paikan, Deputy Minister for Health Care Service Provision of the Ministry of Public Health, in today's ceremony said food insecurity affects most children. According to him, 37 percent of children under five in Afghanistan have chronic shortages and malnutrition.

Mr. Fabrizio Cesaretti, FAO representative for Afghanistan said that there is food insecurity in all countries, but in Afghanistan 44.6 percent of the population lack access to adequate food, and 33.56 percent of children suffer from malnutrition and shortage.

He added that overuse of food and obesity are also linked to food insecurity. He said that nearly two billion people worldwide have obesity problems. He added that unhealthy nutrition leads to various diseases worldwide.

Ms. Parvathy Ramaswami, WFP deputy country director for Afghanistan, also said that sufficient access to food doesn’t mean food security. She emphasized that perceptions of food security are also different, and that in Afghanistan they might say that adequate access to bread means food security.

The WFP official emphasized that access to healthy and adequate food is linked to human health and the future of countries.