Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
Breaking News:

FAO raises concern over malnutrition in Nigeria

By Joke Falaju, Abuja
17 October 2019   |   3:48 am
With obesity currently at 7.8 per cent and about one in three children stunted in Nigeria, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has called on the Federal Government to prioritise ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition in the country.

2019 World Food Day Photo/Book Exhibition<br />In continuation of the 2019 World Food Day celebration, the Photo/Book exhibition session was declared opened by the Country Director of Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Dr. Suffyan Koroma.

With obesity currently at 7.8 per cent and about one in three children stunted in Nigeria, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has called on the Federal Government to prioritise ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition in the country.

According to the organisation, the current figure of 19.9 per cent stunted and underweight children in Nigeria is higher than the globally accepted number.

Added to this is the alarming rate of obesity in adults, as 48.5 per cent of women of reproductive age were noted to be anaemic.

Country Representative of the FAO, Sufyan Koroma, pointed out that the 2019 World Food Day (WFD) was a call to action for government, farmers, researchers and the private sector to make healthy and sustainable diets accessible and affordable to everyone.

To realise this, Koroma stressed the importance of providing a better incentives to farmers to produce high-quality food, urging the government to adopt policies that prioritise the availability and affordability of safe and nutritious foods.

He added that research institutions must also provide the best scientific advice and push the boundaries of knowledge and technology.

According to him, the private sector can positively influence the food environment by adapting its products to the modern nutritional recommendation.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, remarked: “Concerted efforts by all stakeholders are required to ensure food security for nutrition, as agriculture is for all categories of people and a lot has been deployed for food sufficiency.

“It is important for the farmers to understand that they are key to the development and stability of this country.

“This administration will continue to intervene to better the lives of farmers in this country. It is committed to ensuring food sufficiency, empowerment and wealth creation. We continue to address the challenges of population,” he said.

In this article

0 Comments