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Millennium development goal of halving number of undernourished by 2015 within reach — FAO

The number of undernourished persons in developing regions would drop to 775.1 million by 2015, the chief of UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization Jose Graziano da Silva said

ROME, November 18. /TASS/. The millennium development goal of halving the proportion of undernourished people by the next year is within reach, the chief of UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in an exclusive interview with TASS on Tuesday.

“If the trend of reduction in hunger observed between 1990-92 and 2012-14 continues, the number of undernourished persons in developing regions would drop to 775.1 million by 2015. This is 66.6 million above the MDG target of 708.5 million that corresponds to 11.7% of the world’s population,” Jose Graziano da Silva said.

FAO says that the target is within reach on the condition that the current reduction trend “accelerates.” “With a little push in the 400 days we have ahead, we can achieve the MDG 1 to halve the proportion of undernourished people globally,” he said.

Da Silva also marked Latin America’s progress in fighting against hunger. “Latin America already achieved it one year in advance; other regions can do it as well,” he said.

The upcoming EXPO 2015, which is due to open in Italy’s Milano in May, will be dedicated to the topic of Better Nutrition on the planet, he said. This will be a great occasion to “bring the results of the post-2015 Development Agenda to the table and to create momentum around key food security and nutrition issues."