By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Oct. 18: The 40th World Food Day was marked by organising various programmes at the national level with the Nepali slogan "Our initiative: Sustainable agriculture, nutritious food” with the objective of ensuring food and nutrition security through sustainable agriculture development.
The main slogan of the 40th World Food Day is "Our actions are our future: Grow, nourish, sustain together." World Food Day is celebrated every year across the world on October 16. 
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that more than 2 billion people in the world currently do not have access to safe, nutritious and adequate food, and that figure is projected to rise to 10 billion by 2050.
Nepal ranks 73rd among 117 countries in the world in Multi-dimensional Hunger Measurement Global Hunger Index 2019.
Similarly, about 2 million people in Nepal are food insecure and this number is estimated to increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Issuing a statement on the occasion, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said the government had been active to double agro production in 10 years, and modernise and commercialise agriculture with big investment.
Prime Minister Oli said to ensure farmers’ saving and marketisation of their agro products, the government has adopted a policy to fix minimum support price of the major crops prior to their plantation.
“It is the duty of the state to ensure fundamental food security to its citizens and for this we have made constitutional provision by enlisting the right to food as a basic right,” said Prime Minister Oli.
Ending starvation, ensuring food security and improving the status of nutrition and promoting sustainable agro system are the goals of sustainable development set by the government, the PM said.
He further asked the concerned bodies to safeguard the agriculture sector from the negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis and ensure food security and accessibility.
Likewise, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Ghanashyam Bhusal said that the government was moving forward with determination to fulfill the national aspiration of "Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali" and productivity enhancement programme was introduced to double the agricultural production in a decade.
He also said that the government was committed to ensuring equal access to basic agricultural resources, including fertilisers, seeds, breeds, irrigation and electricity at affordable prices based on the concept of "protected agriculture, guaranteed savings" to the farmers.
He emphasised on effective implementation of minimum support price, including subsidy, easy and accessible loan, accessible technical services and guarantee of minimum savings for the farmers.
Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development Rajendra Prasad Bhari said that the ministry had adopted effective policy and programmes for the overall development of the agriculture sector.
Director General of the Department of Agriculture Dr. Govind Prasad Sharma called for collective efforts and initiatives for the implementation of civil rights for food security and food sovereignty ensured by the Constitution.
At the event, prizes and certificates were presented to 22 outstanding farmers, traders and institutions in six different categories at the national level.
Similarly, those who fed the helpless and disabled were also honoured.