President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Monday delivered a compelling message at the opening ceremony of the 38th Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The head-of-state underscored the urgent need for increased investments in agriculture to address pressing global issues, particularly poverty among workers in the agricultural sector and malnutrition. He noted that the same emphasis that is placed on energy should be placed on food security.
President Ali underscored that financing is a critical component of the food production system. He shared that the region was able to negotiate a US$100 million loan from a private institution at a low interest rate of about 3%, while conventional rates are between 8-12%.
“I think the multinational system needs to adjust its financing for agriculture and the food production system so that more weight is placed on concessional loans, concessional financing to support the food production system,” Ali noted.
The head-of-state also drew attention to the staggering statistic of approximately 700 million people in the agriculture sector living in poverty globally.
“700 million of the persons who participate in agriculture sector live in poverty, how are we going to change conditions for them, how are we going to target this 700 million people and help them to develop a system to get out of poverty, because if 700 million of people in agriculture system, live in poverty what message is it sending to the next generation, do you want to join a sector of poverty,” President Ali noted.
He called for concerted efforts to uplift these individuals from impoverished conditions, highlighting the need for targeted interventions and investments to effect meaningful change.
“We cannot come here with the best ideas, and then forget that we have 700 million people who we represent living in poverty. How are we going to represent them, their rights, and their values after this conference ends? Food production is not just about food, it is about people who are involved in the system of producing food,” the president stressed.
Moreover, President Ali highlighted the multifaceted challenges facing the agriculture sector, including water scarcity and greenhouse gas. He urged conference attendees to engage in proactive discussions to devise effective strategies for mitigating these threats and ensuring sustainable agricultural practices.
President Ali also underscored the importance of integrating newer technologies into food production operations and empowering women and young people in the agricultural sector.
“Many of us say we want to end hunger, starvation, and malnutrition. But if you look at our budgetary allocation, it does not reflect that will. If you look at the expenditure profile, it does not reflect that will. Political will is not only shouting out a message, it is about taking policy action and making policy intervention that addresses the issue,” he said.
President Ali also noted statistics of 2 billion people in the world who are suffering from malnutrition. To this end, he said that it is estimated that 60% more food is needed to feed the global population by 2050.
The regional conference is being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), Liliendaal, from March 18 to 21. Present at the opening ceremony was FAO regional conference and Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; FAO’s Director-General, Qu Dongyu, and cabinet ministers, regional ministers, and other stakeholders. (Information used from DPI)
