THE World Food Day commemoration, which is observed annually by UN member countries on 16 October, was held at the assembly hall of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday morning.
The event was attended by Union Ministers U Min Naung, U Hla Moe, and U Khin Maung Yi, along with deputy ministers, permanent secretaries, and heads of departments from various universities, as well as staff members.
At the ceremony, Union Minister U Min Naung highlighted that, according to this year’s reports from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), small-scale farmers produce one-third of the world’s food supply. He noted that climate change is severely affecting the livelihoods of poor rural communities and the productivity of agricultural sectors. Approximately 600 million people globally suffer from health issues, with over 400,000 dying each year due to unhealthy diets. Additionally, 13 per cent of food production is lost during harvesting and transportation, while 19 per cent is wasted at the retail and consumption stages worldwide.
Myanmar, under the leadership of the State Administration Council, has established two national initiatives: ensuring national prosperity and increasing food and water security. The government is placing particular emphasis on improving productivity in the agricultural sector. To provide nutritious and safe food for the public, agricultural policies, strategic plans, and both short-term and long-term development projects have been formulated and are being implemented effectively.
Myanmar, with approximately 12 million hectares of arable land for diverse crop cultivation, grows around 61 types of crops annually, including rice, seed-producing maize, oil crops, pulses, industrial raw materials, kitchen crops, fruits, and vegetables. In the 2023-2024 period, rice was cultivated on more than 7.18 million hectares, yielding over 29.94 million metric tonnes. Oil crops were grown on over 3.34 million hectares, producing more than 3.23 million metric tonnes, while pulses were cultivated on more than 2.76 million hectares, yielding over 4.13 million metric tonnes.
In terms of livestock and fish production during the 2023- 2024 period, Myanmar produced 1.24 million metric tonnes of meat, and 2.19 million metric tonnes of milk. Additionally, freshwater and marine fishing, along with aquaculture, produced more than 3870 million visses (a Myanmar unit) of fish and prawns. To prevent the depletion of fish stocks, annual restocking is conducted by releasing fish into major rivers and natural streams, with more than 55 million fish and prawn fry released in 2024.
Furthermore, under the State Administration Council, initiatives are being implemented to increase crop production and raise individual farmers’ incomes through the National Economic Promotion Fund, which totals K286.1 billion. This fund supports programmes for the cultivation of monsoon rice, summer rice, and oil crops. To promote the development of the oil crop sector, expansion projects are underway for growing crops such as peanuts, sesame, and sunflower.
Additionally, a budget of K32 billion from the National Economic Promotion Fund is being allocated to support livestock farming across different regions and states, including broiler chicken, egg-laying duck, and pork production. Irrigation projects are also being carried out using K0.604 billion from the same fund to ensure water availability for agriculture.
In line with the 2024 World Food Day theme, “Right to Food for a Better Life and a Better Future”, it was emphasized that every person has the right to sufficient food, alongside the need to promote better production, nutrition, social well-being, and environmental sustainability. To achieve this, there is a call for transforming agricultural and food systems, increasing investments, and encouraging innovation. It also urges all stakeholders involved in agricultural and food systems to collaborate extensively towards these goals.
During the 2024 World Food Day commemoration, a video message from the Director-General of the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, was shown, along with a documentary video from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation. This video highlighted the country’s crop and livestock production sectors, accompanied by photographic records of agricultural and livestock activities.
MNA/TMT
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