Islamic Organisation for Food Security established in Kazakhstan

Member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) established the Islamic Organisation for Food Security on 28 April in Kazakhstan.

The new initiative has been created after the 7th Islamic Ministerial Conference on Food Security and Agricultural Development of the OIC in Astana.

Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, Assylzhan Mamytbekov talked at the conference: “We have received requests from some countries who expressed an intention to be a part of the IOFS. In this regard, I am suggesting holding the ceremony of signing the IOFS Charter with these countries. Besides, a ceremony of signing documents with the Islamic Development Bank will take place,” Kazinform reports.

He said that Kazakhstan and other countries can play the key role to terminate hunger in the world, “Over the past 5 years Kazakhstan remains one of the leaders in terms of flour and grain export. Kazakhstan has some 24 million ha of croplands and 180 million ha of pasture lands.”

Kazinform states that the new organization will solve the issues of ensuring Islamic countries with economically affordable food, based on their nature and climate conditions and geography. The organization will also focus on the creation of beneficial transport and logistics routes, which will enable to lower the expenses on the supply of food to the OIC member states. One of its objectives will be also to stabilize food prices due to formation and management of joint food funds.