Financial global crisis form dangerous threat on food security in Yemen

SANA'A, Nov.
21 (Saba) - Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Mansour al-Hawshabi affirmed that
the
financial and economic crisis, including its negative effects, formed a dangerous
threat on security food in the developing countries including Yemen,
al-Thawranews.net has
reported.
This statement was made in his delivering speech in the 36th session for the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that will be held in Rome on 18-23
of
the current month, pointing out the increase of food prices and changing climate
resulted in worsening food crisis in the recent years, effecting the poorest
countries in
particular.
"Yemen seeks to develop agricultural sectors whereas it provides a set of measures
and programs to encourage and produce various food grains as to provide improved
seeds
and rise its production in addition to providing farmers with soft loans, activating
guidance programs and encouraging the agricultural scientific research to provide
early
maturing varieties to battle drought and diseases," al-Hawshabi said.
He added that Yemen has concerns in building dams, dividers, reservoirs,
distributing modern irrigation networks, maintaining valleys, protecting land from
drifting and
rebuilding agricultural terraces and building agricultural markets as well as
fighting diseases, insects and others.
Al-Hawshabi noted the important role of Yemen's efforts to promote and develop the
agricultural sectors besides boosting its role in food security.
Al-Hawshabi also said that Yemen as the another developing country that needs
support from FAO and other organizations where 70% of people live in the
countryside and 50%
of them work in the agricultural field. Moreover, the agriculture field is one of
the fields which will contribute to support the Yemeni development, including to
provide
job opportunities as well as to reduce the food gap which resulted in reducing the
number of poor people in the country.
It is worth to mention that the five-day deliberation of the 36th FAO General
Conference started Thursday to boost the most important agreements reached at the
Food Security
summit that was held in Rome and it will discuss several topics such as changing
climate, rising the foodstuffs, lack of investment in agricultural sector, in
addition to
immigration that resulted in expanding the food gap and increasing hunger in the world.
The session will deal with the organization's strategic frame during 2010-2019 and
its agenda and budget during 2010-2011 as well as the independent external report
on the
immediate work plan for developing the organization work, al-Hawshabi added.
==/AM