Ensuring good nutrition for all

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is a Rome based agency which leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy.

FAO is also a source of knowledge and information. FAO helps developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all. Since founding in 1945, FAO has focused special attention on developing rural areas, home to 70 percent of the world’s poor and hungry people.

Global forum

The Committee on Fisheries (COFI), a subsidiary body of the FAO Council, constitutes the only global inter-governmental forum where major international fisheries and aquaculture problems and issues are examined and recommendations addressed to governments, regional fishery bodies, NGOs, fishworkers, FAO and international community, periodically on a world-wide basis. COFI has also been used as a forum in which global agreements and non-binding instruments were negotiated.

Aquatic Development

The 29th Session of COFI was held in Rome from January 31 to February 4 where 115 FAO member countries participated. Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Rajitha Senaratne led the Sri Lanka delegation at COFI-29. Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Damitha de Zoysa and National Aquaculture Development Authority Chairman Jayantha Chandrasoma accompanied him.

COFI-29 was particularly important to Sri Lanka. The Minister met with many senior delegates attending the meeting including the Fisheries Ministers from Brazil and Bangladesh. Senaratne met with the Director-General of FAO, Jacques Diouf, to discuss FAO’s assistance to Sri Lanka, in particular to the development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector in the war-torn North.

The Minister informed Dr Diouf that with the leadership and vision of the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Government of Sri Lanka is now implementing a massive program called Uthure Wasanthaya (Spring of the North), aiming at the rehabilitation and development of Northern Sri Lanka.

Priority sector

The Government of Sri Lanka recognizes fisheries and aquaculture as a priority sector, not only for the development of the North but also within the national plan of development under the Presidential Vision, Mahinda Chintana.

Considering the increasing importance of aquaculture to Sri Lanka and Asia as a whole, the Minister proposed to convene an Asia Regional Ministerial Meeting in Colombo entitled Aquaculture for Food Security and Economic Development, to discuss, decide and develop a mutually beneficial regional partnership to ensure responsible, sustainable, viable and profitable development of Asian aquaculture.

The meeting will be jointly organized with FAO and the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), an Asia regional agency which whom Sri Lanka is a long-standing member.

Dr Diouf, who has known President Mahinda Rajapaksa for many years, since his regular engagement with FAO/COFI as the Minister of Fisheries, Sri Lanka, praised The President’s commitment to peace, alleviating poverty and contribution and efforts towards food and nutrition security in Sri Lanka.

War-torn North

Dr Diouf informed the Minister of FAO’s assistance program for Sri Lanka, both during the past, after Tsunami, as well as at present in support of the Government’s efforts towards rehabilitating and developing the war-torn North.

Dr Diouf mentioned that FAO recently conducted a needs assessment for agricultural and fisheries development in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Inland fisheries and aquaculture were identified in the assessment as a sub-sector where investments can contribute to restoring and improving livelihoods of conflict affected people and providing future economic development opportunities. He informed that FAO has also prepared a comprehensive inland fisheries and aquaculture development program for the Northern Province and identify measures to ensure its quick implementation.

Dr Diouf reassured FAO’s continuing assistance to Sri Lanka. The Hon Minister will meet with the FAO Representative in Sri Lanka, Mr. Patrick Evans, in the coming weeks to discuss the assistance package further.

The conflict in the North has resulted in a host of problems - disruption of local economies, damage to village-level infrastructure, breakdown of government and private-sector input and output markets and technical support services, dilution of community organizations and institutional networks, shortage of employment opportunities, widespread vulnerability and social and economic instability.

The major challenge for the affected population is to recover from the social and economic shock, restore livelihoods and re-integrate into the socio-economic mainstream.

Administrative mechanism

The conflict has also weakened government institutions and administrative mechanisms and their ability and capacity to plan, implement and coordinate reconstruction and development initiatives. A further challenge therefore exists in building the institutional, administrative and governance structure and systems to support recovery and future social and economic development.

Agriculture that includes crop, livestock and fisheries production is the most important economic sector and source of livelihoods for the inhabitants of the Northern Province, employs some 80 percent of the population and provides the basis for food security and income for rural people.

Fish is an important source of nutrition for people, especially children. According to the Department of Census and Statistics, malnutrition was reported to be acute in the Northern Province in 2001. Between 38.2 and 50.6 percent of children aged from three months to six years were under weight for their age. Also 12.7 to 38.8 percent of children had low birth weights. This indicates that the present fish supply is not adequate for eradicating malnutrition of children in the province.

The major occupation of coastal areas is fishing, and in inland areas the livelihoods of 80 percent of the people are dependent on agriculture and to varying degrees inland fishing. The five districts of the Northern Province together contain significant areas of inland waterbodies that are already providing or that can provide fish for income and food for people.

Inland waters are more abundant, and inland fisheries are more important in some areas, but overall there are estimated to be around 1,700 inland fisher households in the province (Vavuniya - 644; Kilinochchi - 243; Mannar - 586; Mullaithivu - 228). Some of the poorest and landless people also depend on access to inland fisheries for food and income.

Reservoir resources

The production potential of the inland reservoir resources in the Northern Province is estimated at around 2,500 tones/year, worth USD 3 million at the reservoir point of landing, and around USD 4.45 million at the point of final sale to consumers.

In addition, there is the potential to achieving an annual fish production of about 450 tonnes from the development of culture-based fisheries in village-based seasonal tanks in the Northern Province.

COF-29 approved the request by Sri Lanka to host Asia Regional Ministerial Meeting in Colombo from 28-29 July 2011.