SAARC leaders pledge action on Food Security

COLOMBO: SAARC leaders yesterday issued a special ‘Colombo Statement on Food Security’, pledging action to face the reduced food availability and the worldwide rise in food prices.

Issued in addition to the main Colombo Declaration (see page x), the statement affirmed their resolve to ensure region-wide food security and make South Asia, once again, the granary of the world.

An Extra-ordinary Meeting of the Agriculture Ministers of the SAARC Member States will be convened in New Delhi, India in November 2008, to evolve and implement a people-centred short to medium term regional strategy and collaborative projects that would lead to: Increase in food production; Investment in agriculture and agro-based industries; Agriculture research and prevention of soil health degradation; Development and sharing of agricultural technologies; Sharing of best practices in procurement and distribution; and Management of the climatic and disease-related risks in agriculture.

They also directed that the SAARC Food Bank be urgently operationalised. “We further direct that SAARC region should forge greater cooperation with the international community to ensure food availability and nutrition security in South Asia,” the statement said.