Accra, Feb. 11, GNA - Former President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday condemned the loss of millions of lives, especially in developing countries= , because of the lack of nutritious and sufficient food.

"In the 21st century, this is a scandal which must shame all of us. There is no more basic need than the food we eat. Yet it is because of nutritious food that millions of our fellow human beings have shorter lives than those in more food-secure countries," he said.

Former President Kufuor was addressing the opening of the Vision 2020 global conference of the International Food Policy Research (IFPRI) on "Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition and Health," in the Ind= ian capital, New Delhi.

A statement issued by Mr Frank Agyekum, Spokesperson for the former President, said he and the Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, co-chaired the first day of the three-day conference being attended by abou= t 1,000 delegates, including Ministers of state, policy makers, research fellows, academicians, and non-governmental organizations from 65 countries at the plush Taj Palace hotel.

Former President Kufour called for a correlation between policies on health and agriculture to help reverse the debilitating effect of malnutrition which led to 93stunted growth of children, increased their vulnerability to diseases and reduced their capacity to learn at school". He asked governments in developing countries to put the integration of agriculture and health policies at the heart of their planning and make use of research findings on the subject for the benefit of their people.

Governments should adopt measures that will entice the young and educated into farming to make use of modern agricultural methods and specia= l attention paid to educating the girl-child to not only avoid teenage pregnancy but to be aware of the benefits of feeding their children with balanced diet, the former President said.