The Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries is participating in the 35th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific. Like most of the region's countries, Myanmar is experiencing disruptions to its food systems and agriculture sector.  

"We actively engaged with partners in Myanmar as well as  with stakeholders  to find solutions to mitigate to the economic and social impacts of COVID-19," said U Kyaw Swe Lin, Director General, Department of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation. 

More than 400 delegates  are participating in the virtual meeting of the 35^th Session of the FAO Asia and Pacific Regional Conference, hosted by the Royal Government of Bhutan. Their numbers include Government Ministers, private sector, civil society, academia and technical experts in the food and agriculture sectors.

 As the virus continues to linger in communities, a comprehensive approach is required to address the multifaceted and wide-ranging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Myanmar’s food security and nutrition.   From Afghanistan and Iran in the west, across populous South and East Asia, and far out into the Pacific Islands, new ways and approaches will be needed to battle back from these twin pandemics. Climate change is another aggravating factor menacing efforts to increase resilience across our food systems.

“We must come to terms with what is before us and recognize that the world and our region has changed. We must find new ways to move forward and ensure sustainable food security in the face of these twin pandemics, as well as prepare for threats that can and will evolve in the future,” said Jong-Jin Kim, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific. “This virtual conference brings together the people and ideas to chart a true course of action for the benefit of all.”

“We are cognizant of the challenges ahead of us.  We will continue to pay close attention to food security and nutrition, sustainable agricultural and rural development, building resilience of food and agriculture systems in the face of crisis,” said U Kyaw Swe Lin, Director General, Department of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation.

“ The priorities of the Ministry reflect our commitment to support, stabilize and strengthen development to support a good quality of life for the people of Myanmar.” 

In attendance are Government representatives from 46 FAO Member Nations in Asia and the Pacific  a four-day virtual conference to closely examine the present situation of the region’s food security, with a particular emphasis on implications linked to the spread of the coronavirus and its impact on food systems region-wide. 

The conference highlighted FAO’s recently launched comprehensive COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme designed to provide a flexible and coordinated global response that aims to ensure access to nutritious food for everyone. The programme includes the mobilization of all forms of resources and partnerships at country, regional and global level. The main aim is to mitigate the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic while strengthening the longer-term resilience of food systems and livelihoods.

The conference will also consider new marketing channels (such as e-commerce) and new technologies (including better storage facilities) that will help reduce food losses, as these are critical to ensure the flow of nutritious foods and to generate improved incomes for those who work across the entire food and agriculture sectors. 

Equally critical is enabling smallholder and family farmers – those who produce most of the food we consume – to become more dynamic, entrepreneurial and competitive through continual innovation. Smallholders will need much greater access to financial resources, technology and innovation.

Bringing all players together will be crucial to realizing these gains and FAO is in the process of implementing the Hand-in-Hand Initiative to enable that. The conference will have a special session to examine the progress made in the region through this initiative.