Promoting the consumption of nutritious home-grown fruits and vegetables can help reduce food imports and encourage healthy eating habits, which can combat anaemia and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD).

This was highlighted by the Minister for Agriculture and Waterways, Hon. Vatimi Rayalu at the official launch of National Nutrition Month and World Breastfeeding Week at the Holiday Inn, Suva last week.

The theme for this year’s National Nutrition Month is “ACT AGAINST ANAEMIA”.

Anaemia is defined as low levels of haemoglobin in the blood, that seriously affects health and it is associated with poor cognitive and motor development in children and work capacity in adults, which influences the economic development of countries.

Hon. Rayalu said there is a growing concern regarding the increased rates of anaemia in our population, especially in children under five years.

He said the National Nutrition Survey 2015 reveals that one in every two children less than two years old and one in every three women in Fiji suffers from Anaemia. 

“The prevalence of anaemia is high among different groups in our population, with 63.1% of children under five years, 45% of school children aged 5-14 years, 43.5% of school children aged 15-17 years, and 40% of women of childbearing age being affected.”

Our male population in Fiji is also affected, as Hon. Rayalu stated that 40% of them are anaemic.

He said that Fiji has an abundance of food, so it's important to ask ourselves whether we're eating properly and supporting nutrition interventions for our families.

He added that planting and eating a variety of crops will help families meet their nutritional needs. 

“The Ministry is proud to support this initiative, for there is no nutritional health without food. Therefore, agriculture plays a critical role in the health of our people,” said Hon. Rayalu.

He said this financial year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways is planning to implement agricultural programs that aim to combat food insecurity. 

The Hon. Minister mentioned that one highlight of the programme will include the provision of crop and livestock packages for communities and farming households, which will contribute to the improvement of production and access to local, safe and nutritious food for communities.

He said the Ministry will continue with the home gardening initiative, therefore, a well-established home garden with an area of 20x20 square meters should provide at least 2.5 to 3 kg of produce for a family of five for at least 10 months.

“This garden is ideal for growing a diverse range of crops such as bele, tubua, French bean, pumpkin, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, English cabbage, chillies, eggplants, and pawpaw. Along with that, you can plant seasonal crops such as tomatoes and winged beans and by using the crop rotation method, you can harvest food on a weekly basis.”

The three key messages to ‘ACT AGAINST ANAEMIA’ for National Nutrition Month are:

·              Breastfeed Your Baby;

·              Grow and Eat Iron Rich Foods;

·              Give supplements to children.

Hon. Rayalu urges the people of Fiji to make concerted efforts by taking up the challenge of growing and eating healthy and nutritious local foods.

-Ends-

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