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Experts call for public-private partnership to curb malnutrition

Xinhua, November 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

Agricultural experts on Monday called for partnership between government and the private sector to effectively end malnutrition in the world.

Chris Policinski, CEO of the U.S.-based agricultural cooperative Land O'Lakes Inc, said in Nairobi that merging efforts is the best approach to tackle malnutrition.

"With the worsening situation of malnutrition globally, we need to start think big and long term to help save the vulnerable populations," Policinski said at an international conference on nutrition.

According to the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), malnutrition each year claims lives of 3 million children under five and costs billions in lost productivity and health costs globally.

Policinski said market places in the developing countries need many entrepreneurs to step in.

"There are lots of cereals and other foodstuffs in the developing world that is going to waste, and if tapped by entrepreneurs has the potential to reducing malnutrition," he said.

He added that with a majority of African nations that are diversifying from traditional sources of income that mainly includes agriculture, entrepreneurship will be a key economic engine.

Head of the Nutrition and Dietetics Unit in the Kenyan Health Ministry, Gladys Mugambi, said Kenya is on course to meeting four out of the five World Health Assembly maternal and child nutrition targets.

Mugambi however observed that the country has a lot to do as 26 percent of Kenya's children under five are stunted, while 4 percent require emergency treatment and relief food.

Meanwhile, she said increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity have also led to the rapid increase of non-communication diseases that now account for 27 percent of deaths in Kenyans aged 30-70. Endit