Jacques Diouf

HYDERABAD : The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, in collaboration with India and China, is working on a programme to eliminate hunger in the world in the next 10 years, said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf.

Speaking at the 93rd session of the Indian Science Congress on Thursday, he said he had proposed the joint programme to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar during his visit in September. Encouraged by their positive reactions, as also those of leaders in China, it was now being translated into action. It would be implemented in a phased manner with support from several developed countries.

No dream

"It [the programme] is not simply a dream, although the greatest achievements of mankind started with dreams. It is a possible, feasible and operational objective if we have the vision and the will to do what it takes. What it takes cannot be impossible if two countries of more than 2 billion people with a GDP growth of more than eight per cent join forces with a 60 year experienced international organisation of around 190 member states, in particular, if we build strong ties with other developing countries, OPEC states and committed developed countries to achieve the ethical goal of providing the basic human rights to food to 852 million people around the world."

Making a presentation on the problems of food security in several parts of the world, he said Indian scientists could play a major role in addressing it by sharing their expertise and skills for modernising small scale farming.

In this context, he spoke about FAO's south-south cooperation programme under which technical experts provide practical assistance to villages and rural communities for the introduction of technologies that have already been proven and urged Indian scientists to become a part of the initiative.

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