'Food comes first for the people'

Recently, Mr. David Beasley - Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), a humanitarian food aid program of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian organization supporting and solving hunger, warned that there are currently 345 million people in 82 countries at risk of hunger and 70 million people on the brink of hunger. This number is 2.5 times higher than before the outbreak.Covid-19 pandemic; Another 50 million people are acutely malnourished and on the brink of famine. The food crisis is gripping 19 “hunger hotspots” around the world, and the list is expected to grow rapidly.

Many countries are at risk of famine. Illustration photo: Getty Images

Droughts and floods, armed conflicts, challenges and consequences caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have affected production, disrupted supply chains, and pushed food prices to their highest levels in decades. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that the world is facing a 5-word “F” crisis: Food shortage, Feed shortage, Fuel shortage, Fertilizer shortage, Finance shortage. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the theme of World Food Day (October 16) in 2022 was chosen by FAO as: “Leave no one behind. Better production, better nutrition, better environment and better life”.

To face the above situation, leaders of many countries in the world are busy trying to find ways to feed their people. In India, where people are still haunted by the deep pain of the terrible "Skull Famine" that lasted for many years in the 18th century, the Government quickly took action. The country with more than 1.4 billion people, currently the second largest in the world in terms of population, expected to surpass China in 2023 to become the world's largest in terms of population, did not hesitate to issue a ban on rice and wheat exports to ensure food security, making the world even more worried because this is a food exporting country. Not only Indians, in the context of "food and clothing" being trampled in many places in the world, not only in the African continent, but also in many countries that have long been considered more prosperous, agricultural protectionism is on the rise and is at its highest level, which is also natural.

India has banned the export of rice and wheat to ensure food security. In the photo: Rice export activities at Kakinada Anchorage Port in Andhra Pradesh state (India). Illustration photo: Reuters

More than 30 countries have restricted or banned agricultural exports, further tightening the already tight global food supply. Even China, a market of more than a billion people, is expected to import a record 6 million tons of rice in 2023.

With a population of about 100 million, our Vietnam, the Prime Minister has signed and issued Decision No. 1975/QD-TTg on the action plan to implement Conclusion No. 81-KL/TW dated July 29, 2020 of the Politburo on "ensuring national food security by 2030", which requires thoroughly understanding and raising awareness of national food security in the new situation, considering ensuring national food security as a particularly important task in the process of industrialization and modernization of the country, ensuring stability and sustainable development of the country; continuing to thoroughly understand the position, role and importance of ensuring national food security throughout the Party and people; strengthening the leadership and direction of Party committees and authorities at all levels on ensuring food security for people, localities and the whole country.

The good news is that despite facing numerous difficulties due to natural disasters and high input prices, especially fertilizers, this year, agriculture continues to reap golden harvests. The rice harvest will still reach over 43 million tons, so in addition to serving the food needs of nearly 100 million "mouths to feed" in the country, Vietnam can export, contributing to ensuring global food security.

Harvesting rice in the Mekong Delta. Illustration photo: Thanh Liem/VNA

According to the plan for 2022,Vietnam exports ricereaching about 6.3 to 6.5 million tons, 100,000 to 200,000 tons higher than in 2021. If there are no new unfavorable factors, Vietnam's rice export capacity this year will reach and exceed the plan, continuing to affirm its position as one of the leading agricultural exporters.

Not only rice, most other agricultural products of Vietnam have maintained their output or achieved higher output compared to previous years, still maintaining and increasing export volume, thereby contributing to meeting consumer demand and helping to control inflation in agricultural, food and food prices globally. It is expected that this year, the country's agricultural exports will reach 50 billion USD. In the overall results of the whole country, Nghe An is one of the provinces that contributes greatly to the country's agriculture in both scale and value, highly appreciated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Looking at the daily news, many places in the world are "sweating" to take care of food for the people, suddenly thinking back to the saying of the ancients: "Quoc di dan vi ban, dan di thuc vi tien", meaning "The country takes the people as the root, the people take food as the first"; I deeply understand the meaning of the ancestors. In any circumstance, agriculture always and must always play the role of a solid support and "rear" if we want "the people to be strong, the country to prosper". Suddenly I feel more secure when Vietnamese agriculture has been and is shouldering that primary mission for the country very well.

Square fields covered in the golden color of ripe rice. Photo: Hai Vuong