Agriculture Minister Essam Fayed said the crises facing the Arab region have had a negative effect on food security and on the agricultural sector in general.

Such effect represents a major challenge to nations of the region as they have to rally efforts and enhance joint cooperation in order to raise food security standards, he added.

During his meeting with FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva and a number of the Near East agriculture ministers on the sidelines of the 33rd session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East currently held in Rome, the Egyptian minister lauded the role played by FAO in backing stability of the agricultural sector against such crises.

In this regard, Fayed urged cooperation with FAO so as to increase the support provided for agricultural development programs in the region.

He also called on international agencies concerned with food issues and humanitarian crises, particularly the World Food Program (WFP) that plays a key role in relief efforts in some countries of the region like Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan and Libya, to cooperate and coordinate with FAO.

Source: MENA