DILI, 12 january 2023 (TATOLI)- Timor-Leste recorded 20% of the population suffered from food insecurity in the country.
The record was identified by the National Council for Food Security, Sovereignty and Nutrition in Timor-Leste (KONSSANTIL) in a released report on acute integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
The president of KONSSANTIL, Pedro Dos Reis said the data was collected through the cooperation of the line of ministries and the partners to analyze the food situation in the country.
“The data collected by the line of ministries and development partners; World Food Program (WFP) and Food Agriculture Organization (FAO), identified 20% of Timorese suffering from food insecurity. the data will become guidance for us to analyze the food situation in the next six months to find the solution for the acute food security problem in Timor-Leste,” President of KONSSANTIL, Pedro Dos Reis told the media at the launching of the IPC results in City8 manleuana, this thursday.
With the launching of this IPC result, Reis said, It will help the government analyze the data on national food consumption demands and collect the local food to respond to the food shortage in this country.
“This report helps the Government to create a strategy to collect the local food items such as rice, corn, taro, cassava, and others to respond to this situation,”
At the same place, Reis admitted that the food quantity in the last four decades was decreased compared to the recent year, where the local rice production increased from 48.000 tons in 2018 to 86.000 tons in 2022, despite the production slight increase in 2022, it has not met the target of consumption in Timor-Leste.
“We have around 1.3 million people in this country, and based on data recorded by MAF every year we consume more than 131,000 tons of rice, while local rice production in a recent year reach 86.000 tons, this number has not met the target,” Reis said.
With this limited amount of production, every year Timor Leste continues to import 135,000 tons of rice from abroad to support local consumption.
Country Representative of the World Food Program, Cecilia Garzon said this report is very important to use for analyzing the national consumption demand in Timor-Leste and provide the solution to this issue: “WFP observed that 20%or equal to 300.000 of Timorese population suffered from acute food insecurity therefore, currently, we are in coordination with the government, especially with the Minister of Agriculture and Fishery and other relevant ministries to proving support to the Agricultural sector development,’’
“We mostly focus on two important points composed food security and Malnutrition,” she said.
Garzon said their part will also provide capacity building for farmers who were affected by natural disasters to restore their farm products.
To develop agriculture and intensify local food production, the Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery (MoAF), established eight irrigation systems in Bucau Larisula and Maliana in 2021.
In 2022, MoAF also launched two irrigation systems in Lospalos Laivai with a total of 8.5 million USD and in Galata with a total of 11 million USD.
The government also landed a total of 81.5 million USD from the Asian Development Bank (ABD) for water installation contributing to intensifying local crop production in Timor-Leste.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
