SAARC Food Bank to provide emergency support to member countries

A special meeting of SAARC Agriculture Ministers in India endorsed setting up of a Food Bank to provide emergency support to member countries.

Tauqir Ahmed Faiq, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Food and Agriculture said Pakistan would contribute 40,000 tonnes food-grain to the bank while India would contribute 1,53,000 tonnes and Bangladesh 40,000 tonnes.

Nepal and Sri Lanka will provide 4,000 tonnes each followed by Afghanistan 1,420 tonnes, Maldives (200 tonnes) and Bhutan 180 tonnes. The member countries will store the contributed food-grain close to the borders.

Pakistan will communicate the locations of such storages by November 15, he said. Similarly, he said SAARC agriculture 20-20 vision was also adopted at meeting. Modalities to provide food assistance from the Food Bank to member states in case of emergency will be decided by board of directors, he said.

The last SAARC Summit in Colombo had decided to hold this special meeting of agriculture Ministers in New Delhi to discuss the issue of food security in South Asia.

Pakistan Agriculture Minister could not attend this meeting as he was indisposed, he said. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said the meeting had formalised the process for operationalisation of the Food Bank.

Talking to newsmen after meeting, he said two declarations on UG99, a form of rust that destroys wheat crops, and food security were agreed upon.

A proposal to harmonise bio-fertiliser standards through SAARC Regional Standards Organisation was also signed.

Pakistan Times,