MORE investment in the agricultural sector has to be made in a bid to ensure food security in Bahrain, according to a new index.
However, the Global Food Security Index 2019 (GFSI) stated that the presence of food safety programmes and its funding in Bahrain was higher than the world average.
The report, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, has given Bahrain an overall ranking of seventh in the Middle East and North Africa region and 50th globally for the most food secure nation in the world.
It was based on a survey of 113 countries and three parameters – affordability, availability and quality and safety of food.
Bahrain ranked 26th globally in affordability, 70th in availability and 67th in quality of food.
The report also said no one in Bahrain was living on or below the global poverty line, which is $3.20 per day.
The findings additionally state that the world average of food loss score was 5.6, while in Bahrain that number was 5.1, indicating people in Bahrain waste less food than other countries.
People in Bahrain also have 100 per cent access to potable water and there is a dedicated agency to ensure food safety.
Strategy
In addition, Bahrain was praised for access to financing for farmers and irrigation infrastructure.
However, the report has pulled up Bahrain for lack of nutritional standards with a zero score, while the world average was 62.9.
It said the country has no national nutritional plan or strategy for nutrition monitoring and surveillance in place.
The GDN reported in July this year that a survey conducted by the Health Ministry showed less than 10 out of 120 food labels on bakery products were accurate, which called for proper guidelines for correctly labelling ingredients.
The index also revealed that no investment has been made, either by the government or the private sector, to improve or expand crop storage within the past five years.
It said another challenge for Bahrain was political instability as it scored 70 out of 100 compared with the world average of 45.4.
Singapore was ranked first in the index as the most food secure nation in the world, followed by Ireland and the US.
Venezuela, Burundi and Yemen rank at the bottom of the index.
Among Gulf countries, Qatar topped the index with a ranking of 13, the UAE at 21, Kuwait at 27, Saudi Arabia at 30, Oman at 46 and Bahrain at 50.
Other key findings showed that less than 10pc of agricultural land was equipped for irrigation in 79 of the 113 countries included in the study.
The area for attention indicated in the report is the increase in food costs globally over the past five years with countries experiencing conflict worst affected.
Prices
“While food prices have risen most sharply in countries experiencing conflict, there have been steady increases in prices of the average basket of food goods worldwide,” said the report. “Over the past five years, the price for the average basket of food goods has nearly tripled in Angola and Egypt, and more than doubled in seven other countries in the index.”
It added that Syria has the highest levels of food aid dependency.
sandy@gdn.com.bh
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