THE government will commemorate World Food Day on October 16 by presenting a total of 84 prizes to outstanding food producers in Myanmar, a senior official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation said.

U San Lin, a general manager at Myanma Perennial Crops Enterprise, which helped organise the event, said the prizes will be awarded to private-sector farms and organisations whose work is related to agriculture, livestock and fisheries, and forestry.

Forty-nine prizes will be presented in the agriculture category, 27 in livestock and fisheries, and eight in forestry (for outstanding achievement in greening dry zone areas and growing food-bearing plants).

“Prizes will ranges from K46,000 to K160,000, and a total of K7.6 million will be given away with the aim of encouraging people to excel in food-related production,” U San Lin said.

World Food Day has been observed since 1981 to commemorate the founding of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation on October 16, 1945, and to increase awareness of the complex issues of world hunger.

The theme for the 2004 event is ‘Biodiversity for Food Security’.

A statement issued by the organisation said the theme will highlight the role of biodiversity in ensuring that people have sustainable access to enough high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives.

Biological diversity is fundamental to agriculture and food production, and people rely on the wide variety of food, shelter and goods produced by nature for their livelihood, the statement said.

On World Food Day, staff from the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, and the FAO’s Myanmar office will display their activities in the showrooms at the International Business Centre in Hlaing township in Yangon, said U San Lin.