Agriculture and allied sectors still remain the backbone of most African and Asian countries, generating employment and food security, said Wassfi Hassan El-Sreihin, Secretary General of the African Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO).

Despite progress in other economic sectors, agriculture and allied areas, such as fisheries,contribute significantly to job generation, economic growth, food security and overall development, he said.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the 15-day international workshop being organised by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) to train researchers and officials from the 13-member countries of AARDO.

Today, one of the main global challenges is to ensure food and nutrition security for a growing population. This is crucial for ensuring long-time sustainable development, especially in many African and Asian countries. Agriculture and allied sectors will need to produce 60 per cent more food globally by 2050, and 100 per cent more in developing countries using the same limited available natural resources, said El-Sreihin.

Fisheries, aquaculture

According to him, fisheries and aquaculture would play a major role in meeting the food demand of an increased population in the coming years.

A Ramachandran, Vice Chancellor, KUFOS, said that fish is increasingly becoming a major food commodity. The high-quality protein in fish is helping the population to be nutritionally well-fed.

A Gopalakrishnan, Director, CMFRI, said that the institute is committed to come out with suitable technologies to increase fish production in India.