REPORT

Coming together to fight hunger

The government of India welcomed the Zero Huner Initiative of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and was committed to supporting it, said Union minister for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs, Venkaiah Naidu. He was speaking at a session on Policy and Political Support for achieving the Zero Hunger Challenge during an international conference held at the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai.

The Zero Hunger Challenge launched by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012 encapsulates his vision for the future - a world free from hunger and malnutrition, where all people enjoy the fundamental Right to Food; and people’s livelihoods and food systems are resilient and able to withstand a changing climate. As the world takes on the challenge of achieving Zero Hunger by 2025, countries around the globe are committed to freeing humanity from poverty and hunger as a matter of urgency. At the conference, Naidu asserted that government was committed also to the ‘Swaminathan formula’ for minimum support price for crops and was moving in that direction. “Things are improving. Once the economy becomes stronger, we can implement the recommendations,” he said.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce & Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman, spoke of the ongoing discussion at WTO on subsidies. “We have the right to determine what can be done to support farmers and the right to public holding of food grains. I am glad that the Parliament came together on this issue and grateful to the WTO that the peace clause has been extended till a permanent solution is arrived at,” she said. The minister also spoke about the rights of the poorest of the poor for nutrition. The government was initiating negotiations on bartering buffer stock in sugar against the requirement of pulses in order to meet the pulses deficit. “The change in dietary pattern because of cost and its effect on nutrition status are serious matters that require consideration,” she noted. Government was closely monitoring the price of ordinary everyday items like onions and would be very sensitive to the needs of farmers, she said.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Swaminathan expressed the hope that the situation with regard to pulse deficit in India would improve. “The situation is improving and now pulse acreage has gone up. By next year, we can hope to wipe out pulse deficit,” he said.

Jairam Ramesh, MP, congratulated him on getting the parties together on the issue of nutrition security. “No other country has four vulnerability indices when it comes to climate change. We need to be proactive and look for solution, especially with regard to agriculture and food security,” he said.

H.K. Dua, MP, urged media houses to create greater awareness on the issue of malnutrition and hunger, rather than focusing on obesity or fitness, and drew attention to the long term impact that malnutrition would have on a child and her future.

The conference was held in partnership with ICRISAT (International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) and Harvest Plus and BISA (Borlaug Institute for South Asia) and was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah. The need for emphasis on the condition of farmers and farming communities to achieve a world without hunger was a theme echoed by scientists, academicians and farmers alike at the conference. Recommendations and outcomes of the discussions will be submitted to the government, multilateral organizations and policy makers in India and across the world.

The inaugural day of the conference was also Prof Swaminathan’s 90th birthday. Combating Hunger and Achieving Food Security written by Prof Swaminathan and the Annual Report of MSSRP for 2014-15 were released.  

PRESS INSTT .OF INDIA