Latest update April 8th, 2025 7:13 AM
‘Agriculture workers among the world’s poorest’ – Pres. Ali urges action to address issue at FAO Regional Conference
President Irfaan Ali
Kaieteur News – President Irfaan Ali on Monday called for programmes to address poverty among workers in the agriculture sector.
He made the comments during his address at the opening ceremony of the 38th Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Ministerial Session at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).
President Ali highlighted the dire need to address poverty within the agriculture sector, noting: “we in the region understand that financing insurance is a critical component of the food production system and we have to address these issues, we cannot go on without finding innovative ways in which we can address issues of financing and insurance to support the food production ecosystem of which agriculture is a key component.”
Acknowledging the pivotal role of financing in sustaining food production, President Ali highlighted a significant milestone in securing US$100 million from a private institution at a remarkably low interest rate, a mere 3%, contrasting with the conventional rates of 8 to 12% for agriculture. However, he urged multinational systems to recalibrate financing mechanisms, advocating for increased concessional loans to fortify the food production ecosystem. He also stated, “But this is from the private sector but I think the multinational system needs to adjust its financing for agriculture and the food production system.”
President Ali also spoke about placing the same emphasis that is placed on energy security on food security. To this end, he said, “Food is so important why we can’t place the same level of seriousness of investing in facilities that allow us to store to avoid shocks, especially when you have prices that are low… These are things we must address, and these are the issues that I think of when I look at greater integration…”
Moreover, the Guyanese leader underscored the staggering reality that 700 million workers in the agriculture sector endure poverty, posing a formidable obstacle in meeting the escalating demand for food. He lamented the paradox of an industry tasked with nourishing populations but plagued by widespread poverty among its workforce, questioning the message it conveys to future generations.
Ali questioned, “Important to what we are doing is how do we ensure the next generation just don’t eat but eat food with greater nutritional value?” He underscored that inflation have skyrocket food process which remain above average for the past years. “The agriculture sector as we know it now is ill-equipped to meet this demand and why is this ill-equipped, because 700 million of its workers currently live in poverty and we have to face these realities,” President Ali said. “We cannot come here with the best ideas and forget that we have 700 million people living in poverty,” President Ali noted, emphasizing the imperative to lift them out of destitution and empower them to thrive within the agricultural landscape.
He explained food production is not only about food, but it also entails the people who are involved in the system of producing the food.
The head-of-state noted, “700 million of the persons who participate in agriculture sector live in poverty, how are we going to change conditions for them, how are we going to target this 700 million people and help them to develop a system to get out of poverty, because if 700 million of people in agriculture system, live in poverty what message is it sending to the next generation, do you want to join a sector of poverty.”
Moreover, President Ali also noted that there are some 2 billion people in the world who suffer from malnutrition. “It is estimated that we need 60% more food to feed the global population by 2050…” he added. Additionally, President Ali, also the Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), alongside regional leaders, recently underscored their commitment to eradicating hunger and malnutrition by 2030, signaling a pivotal step in addressing food insecurity. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva has also thrown his government support behind CARICOM’s drive for food security and southern hemisphere cooperation.
- FAO, food, Irfaan Ali, poverty, Security
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
AI machines at the gate
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News-The call center was once the second chance for the school-leaver who never got past CXC.... more
Weekend Cartoon
