IMPORTANCE OF FOOD SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN RELATION TO HAVOC OF CORONA IN NEPAL
IMPORTANCE OF FOOD SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN RELATION TO HAVOC OF CORONA IN NEPAL
According to John Muhaise-Bikalemrsa,"You cannot have a happy and peaceful continent without food." It's obvious that directly or indirectly agricultural prosperity and self-sufficiency can overpower various agrobased industries, tourism, remittance, Banking and myriads of other sectors. Here, Food self-sufficiency is defined as being able to meet consumption needs (particularly for staple food crops) from own production rather than by buying or importing(FAO 1996). Actually food self sufficiency is an independent state of the region/country that augment economy, finance, health security and overall prosperity of the nation. At the mean hour, it has become indispensable theme and aim to thrive the ongoings and upcomings of Nepal.
Covid 19 has undubiously hit the vibrant sectors of the world. Protracted impact impose by covid has completely brush off the precedent strategies, plan, policies, propagandas protocols and system of Industries, business, Hotel, bank, tourism educational institution and agriculture. Despite all, Agriculture is emaciated sector to be peevishly smitten by prolonged lockdown across the world. Sealed border, suspended airlines, unshiping has barred agricultural trade. Immediate to the action starvation, food insecurity, under nutrition and demise of hunger has taken our system by storm. Still and all, Covid 19 has laid us an opportunity to build up stout and independent for food demand.
Since a long, agriculture has became a leading sector to satisfy the economic requirements of about more than 60% Nepalese. Agriculture take a hold of 27% of GDP of Nepal. However, Nepal has been prominent importer of rice, potato, onion, wheat, fruits vegetables and other cereals as of 1980s. Data has revealed that During these 2 month of hurdle, we have already imported 75 thousand, 300 Metric Tons of vegetable, 56 thousand 300 MT of pulses, 39 thousand 115 MT of fruits that's equal to around 40 lakhs from India. But unfortunately prolonged lockdown, middlemen overruling and overrating agricultural trade, fear of spread of corona through continuous import and inability of consumer in putting down for overrated imported good will possibly set a strong barrier to import leading to food scarcity in future. Ongoing through the recent situation government, responsible authority and farmer has themself realize the earnest attention to be paid to Self-sufficiency.
Since a decade, huge flank of Nepal's economy has been shouldered by tourism(7.9% of GDP 2019) and remmittance (32% of GDP 2019). Covid 19, a serious pandemic has set an unanticipated barrier to tourism and remmitance. Surging repatriation of Neplease workers from foreign land and probability of restriction of labour board for at least 7 years has seized our dependency to foreign remmitance and tourism.This ultimately hampers various small and large scale industries, hotel line, home stays leaving many Nepalese jobless. Overall situation is potraying the dismal future leading to economic declination, inability in fetching expensive imported food items, starvation and ultimate death. Foresseing the upcoming food self-sufficiency has a leading role to survive and thrive tomorrow better. Food self-sufficiency is not a mere satisfaction to our food demand and easy availability but also set an economic platform for more than 13 lakh unemployed youth ( 7 lakh from the foreign countries and 6 lakh emerging from the pandemic to meet regular economic need) and stabilize the stammering finance. So now is the best time to stop and think how we can create a more resilient future food system.
Hovering pandemic on the other hand has raise hesitating question mark to our filthy behaviours and unhealthy food habits. It has teaches us lesson against our dependency to jung food, desire to foreign imported adulteration, ignorance to our organic traditional food like millet, buckwheat, oat, barley, quinoa, amaranthus, flax seed and cuisine. Similarly, Agricultural product being highly perishable in nature, flushing up with hazardious chemicals after harvest has become a trend for it's successful trade tenability. Covid has posed a sheer threat to health in future even if we ignore a single precaution.So organic farming has greater scope to agriculture leaning to self-sufficiency. Beside health sensitivity, serious possibility of labour drain has invoke food self sufficiency in the country. If we still ignore on the issue than it's damn sure that our country will loss many youth and labour from depression and suicides.
So, stepping up to improve and foster agricultural productivity according to suitable niche, proper dissemination of agri-product throughout the country, changing our heart to traditional food habits is today's need that could pan out for self-sufficiency.
According to John Muhaise-Bikalemrsa,"You cannot have a happy and peaceful continent without food." It's obvious that directly or indirectly agricultural prosperity and self-sufficiency can overpower various agrobased industries, tourism, remittance, Banking and myriads of other sectors. Here, Food self-sufficiency is defined as being able to meet consumption needs (particularly for staple food crops) from own production rather than by buying or importing(FAO 1996). Actually food self sufficiency is an independent state of the region/country that augment economy, finance, health security and overall prosperity of the nation. At the mean hour, it has become indispensable theme and aim to thrive the ongoings and upcomings of Nepal.
Covid 19 has undubiously hit the vibrant sectors of the world. Protracted impact impose by covid has completely brush off the precedent strategies, plan, policies, propagandas protocols and system of Industries, business, Hotel, bank, tourism educational institution and agriculture. Despite all, Agriculture is emaciated sector to be peevishly smitten by prolonged lockdown across the world. Sealed border, suspended airlines, unshiping has barred agricultural trade. Immediate to the action starvation, food insecurity, under nutrition and demise of hunger has taken our system by storm. Still and all, Covid 19 has laid us an opportunity to build up stout and independent for food demand.
Since a long, agriculture has became a leading sector to satisfy the economic requirements of about more than 60% Nepalese. Agriculture take a hold of 27% of GDP of Nepal. However, Nepal has been prominent importer of rice, potato, onion, wheat, fruits vegetables and other cereals as of 1980s. Data has revealed that During these 2 month of hurdle, we have already imported 75 thousand, 300 Metric Tons of vegetable, 56 thousand 300 MT of pulses, 39 thousand 115 MT of fruits that's equal to around 40 lakhs from India. But unfortunately prolonged lockdown, middlemen overruling and overrating agricultural trade, fear of spread of corona through continuous import and inability of consumer in putting down for overrated imported good will possibly set a strong barrier to import leading to food scarcity in future. Ongoing through the recent situation government, responsible authority and farmer has themself realize the earnest attention to be paid to Self-sufficiency.
Since a decade, huge flank of Nepal's economy has been shouldered by tourism(7.9% of GDP 2019) and remmittance (32% of GDP 2019). Covid 19, a serious pandemic has set an unanticipated barrier to tourism and remmitance. Surging repatriation of Neplease workers from foreign land and probability of restriction of labour board for at least 7 years has seized our dependency to foreign remmitance and tourism.This ultimately hampers various small and large scale industries, hotel line, home stays leaving many Nepalese jobless. Overall situation is potraying the dismal future leading to economic declination, inability in fetching expensive imported food items, starvation and ultimate death. Foresseing the upcoming food self-sufficiency has a leading role to survive and thrive tomorrow better. Food self-sufficiency is not a mere satisfaction to our food demand and easy availability but also set an economic platform for more than 13 lakh unemployed youth ( 7 lakh from the foreign countries and 6 lakh emerging from the pandemic to meet regular economic need) and stabilize the stammering finance. So now is the best time to stop and think how we can create a more resilient future food system.
Hovering pandemic on the other hand has raise hesitating question mark to our filthy behaviours and unhealthy food habits. It has teaches us lesson against our dependency to jung food, desire to foreign imported adulteration, ignorance to our organic traditional food like millet, buckwheat, oat, barley, quinoa, amaranthus, flax seed and cuisine. Similarly, Agricultural product being highly perishable in nature, flushing up with hazardious chemicals after harvest has become a trend for it's successful trade tenability. Covid has posed a sheer threat to health in future even if we ignore a single precaution.So organic farming has greater scope to agriculture leaning to self-sufficiency. Beside health sensitivity, serious possibility of labour drain has invoke food self sufficiency in the country. If we still ignore on the issue than it's damn sure that our country will loss many youth and labour from depression and suicides.
So, stepping up to improve and foster agricultural productivity according to suitable niche, proper dissemination of agri-product throughout the country, changing our heart to traditional food habits is today's need that could pan out for self-sufficiency.
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