Opening the National Conference on Nepal Food Science and Technology (Food Conference- 2012) on Friday, the Vice President stressed the need of adopting modern technology for processing, preservation and storage of food stuffs.[break]
Although agriculture production and productivity of Nepal has seen improvement in the past few years, some parts of the country are still at risk of food insecurity due to various reasons including problem in food storage and unequal distribution, he said.
Stating that attack by pests in the food storehouse has developed as a challenging problem to food storage, he stressed the need of adopting organic method-based modern technology in food science and technology.
Now our concerns be focused on identifying quality Nepali food and vegetables and reach them to the international market after processing, said the Vice President. The conference is expected to be a support to increase the quality of Nepali foods and make it competitive in the global market, he said.
Also speaking on the occasion, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology Dr Keshab Man Shakya underlined the need of modernizing and commercializing agricultural sector.
The role of agro scientists and technicians is significant in increasing the quality of food, he said.
Likewise, Vice Chairman of National Planning Commission Deependra Bahadur Kshetry called for paying attention to ensuring rural people´s access to food by ending unequal distribution of foods in the country.
Secretary at the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation Nathuram Chaudhary said increasing population has posed a threat to food security. He stressed the need of giving attention to the promotion of production of quality food with adoption of modern technology.
Food Conference Chairman Uttam Kumar Bhattarai said food malnourishment causes a loss of billions of rupees to Nepal every year.
Around 200 representatives are taking part in the conference jointly organized by the Nepal Food Scientists and Technical Association, Department of Food Technology and Quality control and Central Food Technology Campus Dharan.
According to organizers, 38 working papers on food science and technology are expected to be presented by experts at the conference that kicked off under the slogan ´Importance of Food Science and Technology in Social Development and Upliftment´.
The conference to be run till tomorrow is expected to come with a future strategy for food science and technology by being based on global researches and new adaptations in this sector.
Related story
Eating junk food is bad for health!
