AT the workshop (Source: VNA) Can Tho (VNA) – Experts gathered at aworkshop in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on August 19 to seek ways to reducefood losses and waste, and ensure a sustainable APEC food system.
The event formed part of activities during theAPEC 2017 Food Security Week and the High-Level Policy Dialogue on EnhancingFood Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Response to Climate Change in thecity.
Participants focused on how to evaluate food losses and waste reduction, sharing experience and solutions of the private sector inreducing food waste, reviewing APEC’s projects on reducing food losses and waste,and how to enhancing the awareness toward sustainable development.
According to the UN Food and AgricultureOrganisation (FAO), nearly 800 million people are undernourished globally, ofthem 500 million are in the Asia – Pacific region.
Around 1.3 billion tonnes of food or one thirdof the global food output, worth nearly 750 billion USD, are lost and wastedeach year. The amount, if saved, is enough to feed two billion people.
Food is mainly lost during post-production and harvest,transport and preservation in developing nations due to poor infrastructurewhile food losses take place in marketing and consumption in developed nations.
Food loss and waste reduction was noted in theAPEC declarations on food security in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 to ensuresustainable agriculture development and food security for APEC economies.
One of the objectives of the APEC food securityroadmap to 2020 is to cut down food losses and waste by 10 percent from 2011 –2012.
Gong Xifeng, head of the APEC AgriculturalTechnical Cooperation Working Group, called for a combination of public andprivate resources in APEC economies to reduce food losses and waste.
Meanwhile, Tran Kim Long, Director of theInternational Cooperation Department under the Vietnamese Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development, underlined a need for incentives toencourage investment and technology application in agricultural production, andthe active participation of the private sector and consumers.
Ha Thanh Toan, Rector of the Can Tho Universitysaid the university is willing to cooperate with international partners inestablishing a centre for studying and promoting technology application inreducing post-harvest losses, contributing to realising the APEC food securitygoals.-VNA
