$30b needed to save 105 million people from going hungry this year – FAO
With an estimated 105 million people to go hungry this year worldwide, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), has projected US$30 billion a year needed in agricultural investment in developing countries to lessen the sufferings.
A statement on this year’s World Food Day copied to the Ghana News on Friday said there are now 1.02 billion malnourished people today and such a level of investment, was needed to achieve the 1996 World Food Summit goal of reducing the number of hungry by half by 2015.
It said that amount was even low when contrasted with 365 billion dollars spent in 2007 to support agriculture in rich nations; 340 billion dollars spent by the world each year on armaments and trillions of dollars found in short order in 2008 to 2009 to prop up the financial sector.
The statement said the injection was expected to generate an annual benefit of US$120 billion to improve among other things agricultural productivity, livelihoods and food security in poor rural communities.
It said “both public and private investments were needed more specifically through targeted public investments to encourage and facilitate private investment, especially by farmers themselves.”
The FAO, therefore, asked all countries to reflect on the figures and the human suffering behind them adding “Crisis or no crisis we have the know-how to do something about hunger.
“We also have the ability to find money to solve problems when we consider them important. Let us work together to make sure hunger is recognised as a critical problem and solve it.”
World Food day is observed October 16 every year and at present in Ghana, the National Planning Committee was meeting to plan to activities to mark the day alongside other Tele-food events which aims raising funds to support the poor.
Mr Yaw Effah-Baafi, Deputy Minister in Charged of Crops is the Chairman of Planning Committee.
This year’s celebration is under the theme: “Achieving Food Security in Times of Crisis”.
Source: GNA