A CEREMONY to mark World Food Day was held on October 16 at the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in Nay Pyi Taw.

Speaking at the opening of the ceremony, the minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Major General Htay Oo, said Myanmar was cooperating with the international community in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goal to reduce its population of hungry citizens by half by 2015.

In its drive to achieve this goal, Myanmar is working to boost agricultural output, which is the fundamental sector for the production of food, he said.

He said the country’s annual production of 14.7 million tonnes of rice exceeded local demand, with the surplus exported to contribute to global food supplies.
The output of basic crops such as beans and pulses, edible oil crops and kitchen crops also met the domestic demand, with surplus beans and pulses exported to neighbouring countries, he said.

He also said the country’s abundant water resources were being tapped to irrigate farmland for year-round crop cultivation, with about 6 percent of the 870 million acre feet of water from rivers utilised for agricultural purposes.

He said the government was also implementing a plan to increase commercial production of fish and prawn in coastal areas and freshwater areas, adding that there were now 400,000 fish and prawn breeding ponds in rural areas and that millions of fingerlings are released into rivers and creeks every year to help boost fish populations.

Maj Gen Htay Oo also said Myanmar has no need to worry about food security because the government is developing policies and implementing long-term projects in various sectors in this regard.

Hunger and malnutrition are caused not only by lack of food but also by poverty, income gaps and lack of access to healthcare, education, clean water and other services.

“That’s why Myanmar is taking measures not only for boosting food production but also for improving the economic and social conditions of rural people,” he said.

He said Myanmar would cooperate with other countries in realising guidelines set by the World Food Program to bolster economic development to alleviate poverty, draft policies to create jobs and income for the poor, start programs to ensure food security and develop the agricultural sector and rural areas.

He concluded his speech by urging everyone to work in accordance with the theme of this year’s World Food Day – the Right to Food – to overcome problems associated with poverty resulting from development gaps, technological gaps, lack of stability and peace, racial discrimination and the threat of natural disasters.