Poverty and malnutrition plague South Asia and Africa

Poverty and nutrition deficiency are some of the key issues that affect the South Asian and African regions and the rest of the world. The Rome declaration emphasized the need and the importance of preventing hunger and for alleviating poverty, said the Secretary to the President Austin Fernando addressing the South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative (SAFANSI) Round Table conference held at the Taj Samudra Hotel Colombo on Monday. 
Speaking as the chief guest, he said eradicating hunger and preventing all forms of malnutrition deficiency was the cornerstone policy of the Rome Declaration. He said the future generations too will be affected if nutrition issues are not addressed when malnutrition reach significant proportions.
Referring to the misuse of fertilizers and chemicals, he said it created problems that needed other solutions to counteract where health issues were concerned. “It is important to engage private sector collaboration in improving nutrition and the food systems but the private sector had been engaged in profit-making.”
World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Dr. Idah Pswarayi Riddihough in making the welcome address said although access to nutritious food had improved not everybody was eating healthy food. The governments throughout South Asia have begun to realize the need to focus on improving nutrition for their citizens. She said it was important to work with producers and consumers to improve nutrition and also to work with the private and the public sectors. “It was the poor who are the hardest hit by nutrition and it was important to improve their nutrition.”
SAFANSI is a trust fund established in 2010 by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) with US$ 7.5 million, and the World Bank to increase the commitment of governments and development agencies in South Asia in pursuing more effective and integrated food and nutrition security policies and programs. Secretary, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine of the Ministry of Health Janaka Sugathadasa said the month of June has been declared as the national nutrition month in Sri Lanka. “We also have nutrition problems with our economically disadvantaged people as nutrition affects both the affluent and poor class,” he said. Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture B. Wijayarathne also spoke. (JJ)