OFFICIAL OPENING SPEECH BY HONOURABLE BINTONY KUTSAIRA DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY DURING THE OFFICIAL

OPENING OF THE SADC FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY FORUM ON 9TH APRIL 2014, AT SUNBIRD CAPITAL HOTEL,

LILONGWE

Your E !"##"$!%, Dr& T'"()*$+o,* M'#o$-o, D".u/% E "!u/*0" S"!r"/1r% o2 SADC r",.o$,*)#" 2or R"-*o$1# I$/"-r1/*o$3 Your E !"##"$!*",, M"()"r, o2 /'" D*.#o(1/*! Cor., .r","$/ '"r"3 P"r(1$"$/ S"!r"/1r*", 1$4 Go0"r$("$/ S"$*or O22*!*1#, 2ro( SADC M"()"r S/1/",3 D*,/*$-u*,'"4 D"#"-1/", 2ro( /'" SADC R"-*o$3 Foo4 1$4 Nu/r*/*o$ E ."r/,3 A## *$0*/"4 D"#"-1/", 2ro( /'" NGO Co((u$*/%, R"#*"2 A-"$!%, C*0*# So!*"/%, Pr*01/" S"!/or, No$ S/1/" A!/or,, 1$4 F1r("r R".r","$/1/*0",3 M"()"r, o2 /'" Pr",,3 D*,/*$-u*,'"4 P1r/*!*.1$/,, L14*", 1$4 G"$/#"("$&

It is with great pleasure that I stand here this morning important to officially open this Consultative Stakeholder ut

Forum, aimed at validating the SADC Food and Nutrition Strategy. !efore I do so, let me start !y welcoming you, all to "alawi, du!!ed as the #arm $eart of Africa. "alawi is endowed with !eautiful natural resources, including water !odies, mountains and wild game, among others. I am sure that the organi%ation of this meeting will allow you to spare your precious time, out of the !usy schedule, to visit selected places, where you will appreciate the natural !eauty of "alawi.

D*,/*$-u*,'"4 P1r/*!*.1$/,, L14*", 1$4 G"$/#"("$, having said that, let me reiterate what others have already said, a!out the importance of this workshop. I am told this forum was preceded !y the &outh and #omen 'mpowerment Forum. I am very much confident that the outcomes of the &outh and #omen 'mpowerment, com!ined with the outcomes of the Food and Nutrition Forum, will form a strong !asis, for operationali%ing the agenda of $er '(cellency the State )resident of the *epu!lic of "alawi, Dr. +oyce anda, who is also SADC Chairperson.

Your

E !"##"$!*",, P1r/*!*.1$/,, again $er

D*,/*$-u*,'"4 L14*", 1$4 State

G"$/#"("$, we have heard, time and '(cellency the )resident,s priority and commitment during her tenure of office as SADC Chairperson, which is, to fight malnutrition and hunger in the region. For this to !e achieved, we need the rightful strategies in place, and our gathering here for the two days meeting, is a development in the right direction. Your E !"##"$!*",, D*,/*$-u*,'"4 P1r/*!*.1$/, #e all know that the region,s agriculture sector play a vital role in the socialeconomic development of most of our countries. As a region, the sector continues
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to contri!ute !etween ./ and 01/ of its 2D). Appro(imately 34/ of our overall regional e(port earnings come from the agriculture sector. In addition, it is estimated that, a!out 15/ of the region,s 06. million people 705308 depend on agriculture, for food income and employment. $ence the performance of this sector has a strong influence on food and nutrition security. It follows therefore that we need well formulated strategies and policies that will ensure growth in the sector. #hilst areas regional SADC of has recorded and some

remarka!le achievements, particularly in the trade !elonging, infrastructure and development, and in fostering a sense of difficulties constraints still impede regional agricultural
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production,

and

poverty

remains

challenge. Despite the annual growth rate of 0.9/ in the last decade, the region has remained a net importer of almost all agricultural products. Cereal yields have remained low, !etween 3.: and 3.1mt ;ha on average since 0555. Conse<uently, the region is often characterised !y food shortages, deepening poverty, high ur!ani%ation rates, rapidly increasing human population, which do not match with food availa!ility, $I= and AIDS pandemic and malnutrition. In order to address the many challenges facing the region, in 0554, SADC developed a 3:-year strategic roadmap, the *egional Indicative Strategic Development )lan 7*ISD)8, to provide strategic direction for achieving SADC,s long-term goals, in line
7

with the SADC >reaty 7amended in 3??08. >he *ISD) covers a range of issues across sectors from economic and social development, to cross-cutting issues, such as statistics, private sector development, environment, gender, $I= and AIDS, and it set targets and timelines for reaching the goals. In +une 0534, )olicy the SADC *egional was

Agricultural

7*A)8,

which

developed and anchored on the *ISD)8 was approved. of food >he *A) will serve as a and sustaina!le mechanism for the coherent implementation security development strategies. >he development of the Food and Nutrition Security Strategy that will !e finali%ed here, is derived upon and !ased on the priorities identified in the SADC *A) and the *ISD).
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@adies and 2entlemen, nutrition challenges are correlated with poverty, and some of the conse<uences underweight of and malnutrition wasting8, 7stunting, have a

detrimental impact on social and economic development. &outh and women are mostly affected !y malnutrition !ecause of their physiological conditions. >he nutritional status com!ined with !oth communica!le and non-communica!le diseases !urden, and compounded with the weak health system, in the SADC region, e(plain why mortality among children remains high in the region. >he SADC Food and Nutrition Security Strategy is !eing developed to address these concerns and those of food security.

Food security is a !asic human right. All people, at all times should have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. $ence our goal today, is to collectively, define an agenda to increase food and nutrition security in the region. At the root of food insecurity is poverty. #hereas poverty eradication is the ultimate goal of the SADC, it is a lingering pro!lem !ecause a significant section of the population, a!out .5/, still lives in a!Aect poverty. >his is manifested in the prevailing poor agricultural related social indicators, such as high levels of malnutrition, unemployment and underemployment. Your E !"##"$!*",, D*,/*$-u*,'"4

P1r/*!*.1$/,, L14*", 1$4 G"$/#"("$,

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&ou will agree with me that the poor and vulnera!le resilience populations involves need food more and resilience, and a vital part of !uilding !oosting nutrition security. As such we need to assume our responsi!ility to make the region food and nutrition secure, !y acting together to reduce risks, and !uild resilience to food and nutrition insecurity at the community, national and regional levels. >o accelerate hunger reduction, economic growth needs to !e accompanied !y purposeful and decisive pu!lic actions. )u!lic policies and programmes must create a conducive environment for pro-poor longterm economic growth. Bey elements of ena!ling environment include provision of pu!lic goods and services for the
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development of the productive sectors,

e<uita!le access to resources !y the poor, empowerment of women, and design and implementation of social protection systems. An improved governance system is essential for the effectiveness of such policies and programmes. It is important that as we work together towards achieving the "illennium Development 2oals whose target is 053: C Aust a year from now- as well as preparing for the post 053: "D2s development framework, we put people at the centre of policy development. through a socially >his, we can do inclusive regional

integration agenda. >his is why my State )resident,s Agenda, as a chair of SADC, emphasi%ed, among other things, on the social dimensions of regional integration.
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D*,/*$-u*,'"4 P1r/*!*.1$/,, L14*", 1$4 G"$/#"("$, It is pleasing to note that, in putting together this forum, we, as a regional grouping, colla!orated with an organi%ation that supports wider and deeper engagement !etween state and non-state actors- such as the Southern Africa >rust and the Dpen Society 7DSISA8. It is our intention that this agenda should facilitate and promote people-to-people connections in the region, such as what the Southern Africa >rust does through its Southern Africa &outh '(change )rogramme - an initiative, which I am told, got attention in the Aust ended &outh Forum, which was also a colla!oration !etween
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Institute

for

Southern

Africa

SADC, the >rust and Dpen Society Institute for Southern Africa. D*,/*$-u*,'"4 P1r/*!*.1$/,, L14*", 1$4 G"$/#"("$, >he forum we are in today, is a!out inclusive value-adding connections that allow us, as a region, to reach consensus on how to tackle the many challenges, that our region faces, including food and nutrition insecurity, as well as undesira!le levels of youth and women empowerment. continuous engagement !etween >his civil forum also encapsulates the importance of society, government and !usiness towards policy change in a collective manner. In order to !oost consumption of locally produced agricultural products, SADC
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needs to facilitate mechanisms to provide su!sidies and capacity !uilding- e(tension services to smallholder farmers. Your E !"##"$!*",, D*,/*$-u*,'"4

P1r/*!*.1$/,, L14*", 1$4 G"$/#"("$, &our presence here, and your su!se<uent contri!ution, of to the discussions, this important is of paramount importance to the entire process developing Strategic document for the region. As you may !e aware, the draft strategy document from this forum will !e considered for approval at a +oint "eeting of "inisters *esponsi!le for Agriculture and Food Security and "inisters of $ealth, scheduled to take place sometime in +une this year, here in @ilongwe, after which, it will serve as a !lue print for our
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future interventions, as we tackle the challenges of food and nutrition security. D*,/*$-u*,'"4 P1r/*!*.1$/,, L14*", 1$4 G"$/#"("$, At this point, allow me to take this opportunity to thank the SADC Secretariat staff, through the '(ecutive Secretary of SADC, Dr. Stergomena @awrence >a(, for working hard to make it possi!le, to hold this forum. I reiterate our sincere gratitude to the sponsors of this forum, the Southern Africa >rust and the Dpen Society Initiative for Southern Africa 7DSISA8, for providing generous funding and logistical support, without which this meeting would not !e held.

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"ay I also thank the country,s leadership under $er '(cellency the State )resident, Dr. +oyce anda, for providing logistical support and conducive environment for the meeting to take place, and also for allowing me to open this important meeting on !ehalf of the 2overnment of "alawi. I am confident that you will have fruitful deli!erations and have time to visit our !eautiful places !efore your home. @adies and 2entlemen, it is now, my singular honour, privilege and duty to declare the SADC Food Nutrition Security Forum officially opened. departure

>hank you very much for your attention and may 2od less &ou AllE
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