Government Policy Present and Future for Food Security By Somboon Rasmithong Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Department of Planning

Government Policy Present and Future for Food Security 1.Food Security Status and Challenges 2.Food Security Strategies 3.Approaches Dealing with each Component of Food Security

1. Food Security Status and Challenges 1.1 Food Security Status National Level: –Food Production increases at average rate of 3.9% per year, average paddy rice per capita is 424 kg/y Regional Level: –Central and Southern food is sufficient –Northern is insufficient Provincial level: 8 Provinces is Sufficient the rest insufficient District Level: 69 (49%) districts lack of food, 38 (27%) districts food is sufficient and 34(24%) districts food is surplus. Family Level: 39% is poor families

1. Food Security Status and Challenges(c) 1.2 The Challenges for Agricultural Sector Food demand is increasing in term of quality, quantity and types Land suitable for agriculture is limited and unequally allocated, natural disaster has been appearing to be serious year by year. Agricultural infrastructure is weak ( irrigation, machinery, technology,seed…) Food distribution between surplus and shortage areas and food access of families is hardly implemented Road and comunication system is very poor, markets and food reserve are limited

2. Food Security Strategies : ensure food production with steady growth rate to supply sufficiently the demand that has been increasing( kg/prs/y). Particularly, solving food distribution problem in remote areas and raise food security level of families to kcal/prs/day : attain the security of food: attempt to reach food per capita of over 500kg/y ; ensure the demand for other necessary cereals and calorie intake per capita of kcal/day : attain nutrient food: ensure food structure with rich of sufficient nutrient and calorie intake per capita of kcal/day

3. Approach dealing with each component of food security 3.1 Food Availability High mountainous and plateau: Strictly protect natural resources regarding land and forest allocation activities, extend large animal keeping and small scale fatories and intensive cultivation in flatland Medium mountainous: Concentrate resources on intensive cultivation to raise efficient production and self-sufficient capacity; change crop pattern and livestock breed suitable for the condition of each specific areas. Flatland: Concentrate resources on agricultural development regarding intensive cultivation direction: out season production; not to plant in the season to avoid flood and drought; change crop pattern at the same time extend farming pigs, poultry and fishery;establish national major sources of food and raw material for processing factories and export as well.

3. Approach dealing with each component of food security(c) 3.2 Stability of Food Supply Attempt to keep stability of food production –Continue to invest in irrigation construction –Change production season to avoid flood and drought –Utilize short variety of seed –-Change production habit –Extend markets and improve food reserve system –Extend markets and distribute food –Improve organization and management –-Set up storehouse system –Formulate policy on food reserve and market extention Develop food information system –Establish national information bank for food security –Set up a network to collect data on food security –-Formulate regulation on data collection and utilization –Provide information on nutrition, forcast production

3. Approaches dealing with each component of food security(c) 3.3 Food Accessibility Implement a national project on poverty and hunger reduction Apply food security approaches in the usual flooded areas Ensure food sufficient for families Promote change crop pattern which is suitable for tradition and condition in the specific areas Promote a development and market service project

3. Approaches dealing with each component of food security(c) 3.4 Food Safety Establish national monitoring system on nutrition and hygiene Increase activities dealing with education information Build capacity of nutrition personnel Inspect quality, hygiene and safety of food Ensure food security for families and role of women as well to decrease the rate of food insufficient for children Undertake a pilot project at district level focusing on remote areas.