MoALI celebrates World Food Day in Nay Pyi Taw

THE Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation held a ceremony to celebrate the World Food Day 2021 yesterday morn­ing. The ceremony was attended by Union Ministers U Tin Htut Oo, U Hla Moe and U Khin Maung Yi, Chairman of the Nay Pyi Taw Council Dr Maung Maung Naing, Deputy Minister Dr Aung Gyi and officials. Diplomats, president of the Republic of the Union of My­anmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UM­FCCI) and its affiliated associa­tions, Representatives from the Central Cooperative Society Lim­ited, agricultural production and trade cooperatives, agricultural associations, and farmers joined the ceremony virtually.

 At the ceremony, Union Minister U Hla Moe read out the message sent from Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on the occasion of World Food Day.

Afterwards, Union Minister U Tin Htut Oo said World Food Day is being celebrated annually on 16 October in various parts of the World to raise awareness of the importance of food for human beings. This year marks the 76th anniversary of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organ­izations of the United Nations (FAO) and the 41st anniversary of World Food Day, and Myanmar participated in the celebration every year.

The Union Minister empha­sized that it is an urgent task to change food production systems accordingly to the theme of 2021 World Food Day, “Our Actions are our Future. Better Produc­tion, Better Nutrition, a Bet­ter Environment and a Better Life”.

Myanmar, like the rest of the world, is experiencing climate change, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. He commended the farmers in the whole country who have contin­ued their crop productions de­spite the difficulties during the COVID-19 crisis such as insuffi­cient supply of inputs and affect­ed supply routes.

Despite the unforeseen challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, Myanmar’s agricultural and fishery produc­tions and exports have not slowed down, he said. In the 2019-2020 FY, 2.58 million tonnes of rice, 1.6 million tonnes of pulses, 2.2 million tonnes of corn, 0.17 mil­lion tonnes of sesame seed, 0.67 million tonnes of fishery prod­ucts, were exported, providing domestic and world food security.

He said his ministry is work­ing together with private entre­preneurs and relevant ministries to provide effective support for the marketing, required technol­ogy assistance to increase the productivity and quality of agri­cultural products, and required capital. He added that Myanmar is a country that has traditionally been a staple food producer due to the export of agricultural and natural products to the neigh­bouring countries and the world.

As Myanmar is committed to the Government’s policies which focus on food security, increasing per capita income, and narrowing the gap between rich and poor in the country, this year’s theme of World Food Day is in line with these policies. He urged to work together for the better produc­tion, better nutrition, better en­vironment and better life.

MNA

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