South Asian countries must beef up efforts to end hunger

South Asian countries need to increase efforts to end hunger and malnutrition in the region as it is vulnerable to climate change, said speakers yesterday in the concluding ceremony of the three-day South Asia Right to Food Conference 2015.

They said although the region has made a lot of progress in terms of food production, millions still suffer from hunger and malnutrition.

According to Food and Agriculture Organization, 28.14 crore people of South Asia suffer from hunger.

"We are losing arable land to urbanisation, river erosion and salinity intrusion. These factors and climate change impacts are predicted to be the causes of a future decline in food production," said economist Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad.

Suggesting food rights activists advocate for government policies that ensure food availability, access and nutritional values, Ahmad, chairperson of the conference organising committee comprised of NGOs, said, "If we have a people-centric approach, we can address the problem."

Addressing the ceremony on the Dhaka University campus, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said globally the food production issue was forgotten, but with the food crisis in 2007-08, global leaders have refocused on agriculture.          

Shaheen Anam, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, said food is a fundamental need of a human being, but many fail to have access to food due to poverty. 

George Dias, a food rights activist of Honduras, said political will of the government is the most important element required to ensure peoples' right to food.

The conference emphasised activating the Saarc Food Bank and establishing Saarc Seed Bank.

Mohsin Ali, secretary of the conference organising committee, Mohammad Hilaluddin, president of Ongikar Bangladesh, Balaram Baskota of Nepal, Nasir Aziz of Pakistan and Bomkesh Lal of India, also spoke.