WFP and the Italian Embassy hold joint conference on food investment opportunities

“We are here today to explore the available opportunities to create new nutrition-sensitive food value chains, provide new favourable conditions to attract investors, establish new businesses and turn investments in food value chains into profitable businesses that will end food insecurity and malnutrition” said WFP Representative and Country Director in Armenia Jelena Milosevic in her welcoming note to participants at the conference.

The conference – titled “It’s an Opportunity, Invest in Food Security” – brought together around two hundred participants to discuss how investment in the food industry can support efforts to eradicate food insecurity in the country. The conference also tackled health issues related to food and nutrition as well as ways to drive new business opportunities in the food sector to boost economic growth.

“We are here to compare notes, if I may say so, and to work together, under the guidance of WFP to establish new models of nutrition-sensitive food value chains to promote healthier lifestyles and, at the end, the prosperity of our citizens. But to achieve these ambitious yet achievable results, we must work together and all of us play a role in supporting this vision. The Italian Embassy in Armenia and the Italian Government are ready to play a part in this, are you?”, said Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to Armenia H.E. Vincenzo Del Monaco at the opening of the Conference.

The Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Armenia, Head of Delegation H.E. Andrea Wiktorin and RA Minister of Economy Tigran Khachatryan also welcomed the guests and participants during the opening remarks. About 200 representatives of the state, private sector, civil society, legislators, and local and international experts participated in the one-day conference.

"The efforts underlying this initiative are to emphasize the importance of this topic locally and internationally, as today we speak not only about Armenian agriculture and healthy eating in our country, but also about global opportunities and challenges,” said Minister Khachatryan, emphasizing that today's discussions relate to a number of areas where success is impossible without active cooperation between the private sector, the government and international organizations. “On behalf of the Ministry, I express my gratitude for organizing this event and express our readiness to continuously contribute to achieve the programme’s goals,” he added.

The interactive discussions at the conference consisted of two parts:

• Food security and nutrition decision making: How to overturn unhealthy consumption behaviours to stimulate a new market demand for nutritious products?
• National and international supply of nutritious food: How to overcome existing barriers in production and market segments to foster the supply of nutritionally diversified food?

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The United Nations World Food Programme - saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development.  WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future.

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