Guyana on target with goals to improve nutrition, curtail hunger – president

TIMES INT'L

With Guyana gaining the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO’s) recognition for achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to curtail hunger and improve nutrition, President Donald Ramotar believes Guyana is doing the right thing, and disclosed that the country will be conferred an award in Rome, later this month for its outstanding success in this regard.

President Donald Ramotar speaking on the occasion of World Environment Day
President Donald Ramotar speaking on the occasion of World Environment Day

The Head of State was at the time speaking at a function organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Environment in observance of World Environment Day 2013 at Umana Yana.
The achievements can be credited to past and ongoing efforts at investing in the expansion of food production to ensure supply, adequacy and price affordability. Among them is the Gy$500 million allocation this year for the establishment of a farmers’ fertiliser and planting material facility which will boost and strengthen food production and reinvigorate the ‘Grow More’ Food campaign.
“Think, Eat and Save” is the theme for this year’s World Environment Day, which President Ramotar said is most appropriate. He referred to a report presented in the British Parliament recently showing 30 to 50 percent of food produced in the world being wasted, and 30 percent of the world population being undernourished.
Participants at the forum heard about the number of persons facing hunger and starvation in the world, the quantity of natural resources that is lost and the social and environmental impact of wasting food.
As “custodians of the planet” the participants were advised to take responsible actions by minimising their footprint as well as “foodprint” on the environment.
United States Ambassador to Guyana Brent Hardt lauded the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment for staging a walk last Sunday in honour of World Environment Day and urged that citizens be more proactive instead of giving lip service.
He was particularly pleased at past interventions like the nationwide “Pick It Up” campaign launched last year, involvement of the religious community, schools, private sector groups and the parliamentary resolution to work together in solving environmental challenges.

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