KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said the government has adopted pro-poor and inclusive policies to tackle poverty and hunger. Such policies are also for saving people’s lives, and rebuilding the economy so as to make it better and stronger.

In his virtual address to the Food Systems Summit organized by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Friday on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the Prime Minister said, “A mountainous country, Nepal has a food system that is highly vulnerable to disasters caused by climate change and extreme weather. The COVID-19 pandemic has further limited our fiscal space, endangered our food chains, and risked reversing our development gains.”

The Prime Minister went on to say that the Nepal Government aimed to protect farmers engaged in food production by adopting a life cycle approach, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement. According to him, there is no better time than this to deliberate on food systems. Today one in every ten people on Earth is under-nourished, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further worsened food insecurity.

“With disruptions in supply chains and rising food prices, the situation in LDCs and LLDCs is all the more acute.”

Highlighting the significance of the event, he said it was important for this Summit to be bold. He stressed the need of translating the commitment into building food systems fit for the future. “These efforts are made in line with our constitution’s promise to ensure affordable, healthy, and nutritious food for all Nepali people,” the Prime Minister said, utilizing the forum to make it clear that Nepal is determined to achieve zero hunger by 2030.

He further added that transformative investment in agriculture would be crucial to ensure food security for all. This included harnessing modern technologies and making high yield seed variants available in all countries. “Nepal remains committed to our collective efforts to ensure that nutritious food is a reality for all.”