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Poverty-induced undernutrition serious challenge: Swaminathan

January 20, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 07:59 am IST - GUNTUR

‘Food-cum-drug approach best to treat chronic diseases’

Dr. M.S. Swaminathan speaking at the Indian Youth Science Congress at ANU in Guntur on Monday. Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Y.S Chowdary is seen. Photo: T. Vijaya Kumar

Undernutrition induced by poverty is the most serious food security challenge in the country, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation founder chairman M.S. Swaminathan said here on Monday.

“Under-nourishment is the mother of malnutrition in cereal-based diets. We should replace a purely drug-based approach for treatment of TB, HIV-AIDS and leprosy with a food-cum-drug approach. After many years, agriculture, nutrition and health are coming together to treat hunger in a holistic manner,” Dr. Swaminathan said in his presidential address on ‘Science and Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security’ at the inaugural function of the 6th Indian Youth Congress at Acharya Nagarjuna University.

The focal theme of the Congress, ‘Zero Hunger Challenge’, was in response to a global movement launched in 2013 by the UN with the aim to ensure zero stunted children in less than two years, 100 per cent access to adequate food, developing sustainable food systems and zero loss or waste of food. Pointing out the disturbing facts, Dr. Swaminathan said 45 per cent of children below three years were stunted, one in three malnourished children lived in India, and under-nutrition was associated with half of under-five age deaths worldwide.

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Stating that food losses and waste formed one of the main components of food security, Dr. Swaminathan said high priority should be given to establishing safe and modern food storages at the farm level, procurement centres and thirdly, in a national food security storage grid. At least 50 such grids should be set up in the country, he said.

Application of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering in agriculture could play rich dividends, he said while recommending that a Parliament approved regulatory authority for conducting All India Coordinated Trials should be put in place.

“The present moratorium on field trials with recombinant DNA material is serving as a serious handicap in harnessing benefits of wide array of transgenetic material with public and private research organisations,” Dr. Swaminathan added.

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