Fair in Burrel Boom highlights food security

Today the Elton Gillett Memorial Park in Burrell Boom was filled with the aroma of a variety of local foods. The occasion? A fair to commemorate World Food Day. Visitors to the event were sensitized about proper nutritional habits, the types of food available in Belize and what they can do to prevent diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. According to the coordinator of the National Food and Nutrition Security Commission in the Ministry of Agriculture, Melanio Pech, this year the focus is on Bio?Diversity for Food Security and targets the problem of world hunger. News 5 asked Pech where Belize stands on the food scene.

Melanio Pech, Coordinator, NFNSC

?Our Belizean population is above all in a better position to compare with Central American countries; our neighbours. Belize in terms of food security is not as bad. We are at least above eighty percent of food security.?

Jacqueline Woods

?What are some of the challenges confronting us??

Melanio Pech

?One of the main problems that we faced this year was the drought. Because productivity needs to be high yielding for our crops; high reproductive rates for our livestock. So we need so many management packages also to come together with–not necessarily just the environment–but we have other management packages that come together with it.?

Pech says the MOA is doing all it can do to get farmers to produce and diversify. That ministry today organized an interactive booth entitled ?The Vitamizer?, that highlighted the essential vitamins and minerals obtained from eating locally grown food products.