Luanda, 10/01 - Angolan Agriculture and Rural Development minister, Afonso Pedro Canga appealed Monday, here, for the collaboration of authorities from other government institutions on efforts for the success of food security in Angola.
The minister made this statement at the opening ceremony of the "1st Symposium on Food and Nutritional Security" under the theme "A Challenge of Cooperation and the Development of the Portuguese Speaking Countries Community (CPLP)", happening until October 03, in Luanda.
Talking about the "The institutional creation of food and nutritional security", Afonso Canga expressed the need to create an institution where the sectors of Health, Education, Employment and Justice, among others, can guarantee that food security becomes a matter of the State.
According to the official, the food security issue is tri-dimensional since it is composed by economic, social and environmental components. "Food security cannot exist without coherent policies to fight poverty, lack of dignity from people and respect of the environment", he justified.
Afonso Canga stressed that the Angolan government, in its development programme, has food security as the prime priority, for the effect having elaborated the Strategy to Fight Poverty, in which it presents the ways and means available.
He referred that in the light of the government's efforts to fight hunger, poverty and food security in the country, the Angolan executive created, in 2005, the Programme of Extension and Rural Development (PEDR) aimed at providing working and social conditions by supplying water and electricity to rural communities.
He added that, to reinforce actions to meet the needs of the population, the Angolan government is preparing the National Food Security Programme with technical assistance of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the support of European Union, from Italy and the Netherlands.