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FAO reports food challenges in Asia-Pacific region
15.03.2012 08:02 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
Nearly 600 million people are suffering from hunger and malnutrition in the Asia Pacific region, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
The organization says with food prices twice as high as a decade ago, providing food for this population is becoming more complex and challenging. Patrick Maigua reports from Geneva.
FAO says rising and volatile food prices, climate change impacts, frequent natural disasters, rising fuel prices and growing use of food crops for biofuels are some of the factors that are complicating the fight against hunger in the Asia Pacific region.
It is estimated that nearly half of the one billion people who are malnourished worldwide are in the Asia pacific region with majority of them in India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines.
FAO Assistant Director General Hiroyuki Konuma speaking in Hanoi Vietnam said the agricultural sector in the region requires huge investments with substantial amount of funds devoted to research and infrastructure development, agricultural extension services and post harvest loss reduction.
He said governments in the region will also need to put in place policies to improve rural agriculture and strengthen farmer cooperatives and organizations especially for women.
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