Improve food security

WITH the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic being felt in the country, we should not lose focus on getting food security right in Papua New Guinea.
This will ensure the country has a reliable and sustainable supply of nutrition.
It will deliver new sources of economic growth.
Food security, means that all people, at all times, should have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life.
Food security is becoming a major concern in many parts of the world due to demand and supply issues such as increase in population and limited resources and climate change, hence, the need for strengthened efforts to address the situation.
Food insecurity – often rooted in poverty – decreases the ability of countries to develop their agricultural markets and economies.
Access to quality, nutritious food is fundamental to human existence.
Secure access to food can produce wide ranging positive impacts, including increased global security and stability.
From readings, almost 40 per cent of people in Papua New Guinea are living below the poverty line.
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline, is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country.
Poverty line is usually calculated by finding the total cost of all the essential resources that an average human adult consumes in one year.
According to United Nations Development Programme, about 39 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line on less than US$1.90 (K6) per day.
The Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) has explained that this was based on a lack of income because one way to have food security was to have money.
PNG has a high rate of malnutrition as well because of a protein deficiency.
Children under five years old have a very high level of protein deficiency due to not getting enough protein in their daily diet.
The number stood at 48 percent and was one of the highest in the world.
Climate change was another factor that contributed to poverty driven issues people faced.
And of late, in terms of Covid-19, the main impact in the sectors was access to markets for income generation purposes.
Despite an extensive system of subsistence agriculture, up to a quarter of PNG’s food energy and protein requirements are dependent on imported products, mostly processed food.
Because of the complex and interconnected nature of agriculture, PNG needs a current and comprehensive planning framework to nurture the development of the sector.
This fact is recognised in the country’s medium term development plan 2018-2022, which refers to plans for both food security and agricultural development.
In fact, these are both priorities under the national plan.
While all these initiatives are helpful and welcome, of themselves, they are not enough to drive the transformations necessary to ensure food security and grow PNG’s agriculture sector.
There are many challenges to overcome, but two of the most significant barriers are the lack of infrastructure to transport goods domestically and inconsistent product quality.
As a matter of urgency, there needs to be a more strongly coordinated approach to improving transport networks, supply chains and connectivity so that products can be moved cost effectively, efficiently and safely.