Pan African parliament welcomes discussion on Africa food crisis

from Pana Press

Pan African Parliament president Gertrude Mongella has w elcomed the news by the United Nations to debate the food crisis in Africa.

Mongella noted that at the Pan African Parliament, at its Ninth Ordinary Session held this week in Midrand, South Africa, devoted considerable time to the subject in a lengthy deb ate.

"The PAP considers that the matter is so serious that it requested Dr Jacques Di ouf, Director-General, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, to report to the Pa r liament on information at his disposal," Mongella said in a press statement rele a sed by PAP and obtained by PANA in Lusaka on Saturday.

"It is clear that the situation is dire and Members of the Pan African Parliamen t called, as I do, for a range of interventions to be implemented by governments throughout the continent as well as internationally."

She said it was not acceptable that millions of Africans, as well as the poor in other parts of the world, were affected by soaring food prices and continued to go hungry everyday with the prospect of increasing famine looming.

"On behalf of this Parliament I am now urging that the world's emergency respons e systems require to be examined so as to ensure that prompt and effective assis t ance is planned now."

Mongella said it was acknowledged that the genesis of the food crisis in Africa was complex, pointing out that poverty, agricultural mismanagement, unfair trade

rules and climate change had contributed, in part, to the situation.

Members of parliament who were meeting this week made it clear in the debate tha t the African Union, the United Nations and other relevant world bodies must pri o ritize the issues of agricultural development.

Significantly, MPs recognized that enabling women in the agricultural sector was crucial, and now urgent, in positively addressing the crisis. In many countrie s women are, in fact, the backbone of food production.

"We need to go beyond words at this time. Deeds are now required. The issue of f ood insecurity has been on the international agenda for decades. This crisis is n ot only an African crisis, it is a world crisis," the PAP president added.