When the country has just suffered havoc of calamities and still struggling, the first thing country should do to build bastion is to have independency in food. Food is richness and food is strength. Mutual help of Government, Technologists and Entrepreneurs can only safeguard food safety and food security in the nation.

Food Industries function to produce same food at low price. Fruits, vegetables, milk, cereals, legumes, meat, fish, poultry can be processed to give rich amount of new products, can be preserved and can be made more safe and nutritious by the advances in food technology.  Even simple of the simplest technique can help things get better. Example

Government should invest on producing competent food technologist for the nation. The scope of food technologist is transcendent. They not only they produce food, they can work on bio-molecular level, biosensors and nanotechnology and make food more than that of fulfilling hunger, it can be medicine and pleasure indulgence.

Food Regulation 1970 AD and Food Act 2023 BS are functional in the country but food safety and security are not properly addressed yet. According to Human Development Index- UNDP 2011, GDP per capita is only $ 1,049 and 4.5 Million Nepalese are undernourished. (FAO, 2011). Malnutrition slows economic growth and brings poverty because of poor physical status, poor cognitive function and indirect health costs.

http://faostat.fao.org/desktopdefault.aspx?pageid=342&lang=en&country=149

 If we could cut off the imports and increase the exports, we can increase country’s GDP. To get things to be done, there should be active participation and support from all stakeholders involved, most importantly the entrepreneurs. Until and unless they make investment for opening food industries, trade and market government plans and policies and food technologists cannot work. Procurement of raw material is a challenge for industries. Government should help by giving subsidies in agriculture and food industries and promoting commercial farming. This is the time we technologist, entrepreneurs and government work together for building healthy and prosperous Nation.

Pratiksha Shrestha

pratiksha.shrestha2001@gmail.com