KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green has called on the private sector to invest in the establishment of a network of cold storage facilities to expand the shelf life of certain foods.

Cold storage is an essential requirement in the post-harvest storage and distribution of perishable commodities and food products.

Green issued the call at the virtual observance of World Food Day in a ceremony hosted at the Ministry’s Hope Gardens office yesterday. He also appealed to the private sector for assistance in expanding the value-added and agro-processing industries.

“I believe this World Food Day presents us with a wonderful opportunity for us to renew a partnership between the government and private sector. This partnership will yield an investment in the appropriate storage mechanisms for food produce by our farmers and fisherfolk,” he said.

The minister commended the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations for the World Food Day initiative, which serves to raise awareness of the need for successful agricultural policies to be implemented by governments to ensure there is ample food for everyone.

Green also used the opportunity to reiterate the government’s commitment towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger.

Meanwhile, in his remarks, FAO Representative to Jamaica, The Bahamas and Belize, Dr Crispim Moreira urged the government, private sector and civil society to ensure that the country focuses on healthy food options.

“We all have a role to play by increasing the overall demand for nutritious food by making healthy choices and not to let sustainable acts fall by the wayside. We must make healthy eating a part of our daily life by choosing local and seasonal food and reducing food waste and being more aware of our carbon foot print,” he said.

World Food Day 2020 was observed under the theme ‘Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together. Our actions are our future’. It also marks the 75th anniversary of the FAO.