Nigeria hosts 4th eight developing countries’ meeting on food security

The 4th Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture in the D-8, the organization for cooperation among Eight Developing Countries of the world to promote the socio- economic development of member – countries has been scheduled to begin in Abuja on Wednesday December 4, 2013.

The organization was established to enhance cooperation in the economic sector through sharing of expertise to improve the proportion of its member-countries in the global economy. In accordance to current demands, its scope of cooperation has been expanded to create new opportunities in trade relations as well as other major sectors.

Other objectives of the organization also entail enhancing the participation of members-states in the processes of decision making at the international level. The membership of the D-8 comprises: Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey with its strength dependent on the representation of about one billion populations, making up fifteen percent of the world’s inhabitants.

Nigeria’s hosting of the ‘4th Summit on Food Security’ is to enable concluding actions on all outstanding issues for different working groups and for the formulation of the strategies for ensuring timely and effective implementation of all decisions reached at meetings.  The issues earmarked for discussion would bother on strengthening areas of weakness such as the usage of standards and trade; need to forge a strong and meaningful multilateral / bilateral collaboration as well as partnership among the private sectors of members-states as well as exploring the areas of advantages.

Members are optimistic that at the end of the meeting, there would be modalities for firming up cooperation in various sub-sectors of the seed bank, fertilizer animal feeds; marine fisheries as well as adoption of strategies for the implementation of the D-8 Programme for Food Security (D8-PFS). Collaboration in livestock production and marketing (Halal food industry) and forging a strong private sector – led joint investment programme in a Public-Private Partnership is also expected.