SAARC nod for Food Bank

COLOMBO: The 15th SAARC Summit has placed food security high on its agenda with the promise of more state intervention including a SAARC Food Bank to help any Member State in case of exigencies.

Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona addressing media at the conclusion of Standing Committee meetings said that all Member States had reached a consensus on the concept of a SAARC Food Bank.

Dr. Kohona added that a preliminary draft as a proposal would be forwarded to the Foreign Minister’s meeting for further perusal.

According to Dr. Kohona a proposal by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to set up food reserves across the region too had garnered popular interest and had been discussed in line with the proposed “Food Bank”.

The transfer of new technology and extending institutional support for increasing production in the agricultural sector were also too discussed at length, he added.

According to Dr.Kohona food production alone is not sufficient to meet the present day demands in facing the world food crisis but another vital component would be the existence of a proper mechanism for distribution which the Member States had agreed principally.

The leaders are set to sign the “Colombo Declaration on Food Security” during the main summit.

Also it is learned that the spiralling food and oil prices and ways to offset the burden imposed by these on South Asian economies was discussed at length.

The effort comes in the backdrop of a severe food crisis fuelled by the additional burden of sky rocketing oil prices across the globe which has resulted in spiralling costs.

The SAARC region consisting of 1.5 billion people is considered to be among the worst affected.

Agricultural Development Minister Hemakumara Nanayakkara referring to the same matter at a separate press briefing yesterday at BMICH commented that Sri Lanka was ahead of countries such as India, China, Pakistan when it came to rice production (in terms of population).

He added that while UN and other world bodies had come out with predictions regarding the crisis only in 2008 President Mahinda Rajapaksa had ordered contingency measures as far back as February 2007 by initiating “Let’s grow and build the nation” programme.

The Minister emphasised that the country would see the yields of present initiatives in the near future and predicted that Sri Lanka would be able to achieve sufficient levels by year 2010.

Dr. Kohona briefing the media regarding standing committee deliberations said that they had been able to reach about 98 per cent consensus on the all matters discussed and would be presenting their proposals to the Minister’s meeting.

A common understanding had been reached regarding issues such as the SAARC declaration, food security and protocol on the international observers. Also matters pertaining to terrorism and its implications, environment, poverty alleviation, energy and water resources and climate change were discussed at length and proposals would be forwarded to the next level, Dr.Kohona added.