Minister Bastienne’s World Food Day message |16 October 2019
Minister Bastienne
‘Hunger and malnutrition impact on economic productivity’
“A nation is less able to generate economic wealth if its people live in a permanent state of hunger and malnutrition. As a result the sustainable development of a nation is challenged and is at stake.”
The remark comes in a message from the Minister for Fisheries and Agriculture Charles Bastienne on the occasion of World Food Day being celebrated today, October 16.
The full text of Minister Bastienne’s message reads:
“Today, October 16, Seychelles joins the rest of the world to celebrate the 39th World Food Day. This year’s theme is ‘Our Actions are our Future: Healthy Diets for a Zero Hunger World’.
“World Food Day is about getting the world’s attention on the significance of hunger which plagues some 800 million people across the world, afflicting mostly women and children.
“Hunger and malnutrition have both immediate and drawn out impacts on personal performance and consequently on economic productivity. A nation is less able to generate economic wealth if its people live in a permanent state of hunger and malnutrition. As a result the sustainable development of a nation is challenged and is at stake.
“Fortunately our beloved Seychelles is spared by these mentioned afflictions, nonetheless the diet of our people has considerably changed over the last decades.
“Nowadays our daily intake comprises high energy foods, with considerable fats, salt and oils along with sugar. As a result more than 40 percent of our children up to age of 15 years now fall in the category of overweight to obese. Moreover some 65 percent of Seychellois fall in the category of overweight to obese.
“In addition, the country imports around 80 percent of its food and this also has an impact on the food value as most nutrients good for our health are lost during transportation.
“Consequently, all these have a considerable impact on the health of our nation. We cannot ascertain their mode of production, the use and level of fertilisers and pesticide and above all the food security of our country.
“It is for this reason that the government came up with the Comprehensive Plan for Agriculture and the Comprehensive Fisheries Plan, launched in October 2018 and August 2019 respectively, which are Seychelles’ response to many of the above fundamental issues.
“Both plans have adequate institutional support to supply fresh nutritious foods all year round at affordable prices. These documents will incite economic activities, valorise scarce natural resources, employment, income generation and livelihoods and achieve an appreciable level of food and nutrition security.
“It is clear that the two plans invest in the immediate food need and subsequently in the health of each Seychellois but as well as in their future as a productive, healthy citizen contributing to generating national wealth.
“To end, I convey my heartfelt thanks to my staff from both the departments of Fisheries and Agriculture for their remarkable effort and devotion and hard work to help our locals in their production.
“I also salute all our producers in the crop and livestock sectors, food processors as well as our hard working fishermen to provide food to our small nation.
“I wish you all a happy World Food Day!!!”