CANKUZO July 5th (ABP) – Cankuzo province is still experiencing malnutrition diseases among children, due to the ignorance of the people regarding balanced nutrition.
This was announced by the deputy chairperson of the steering committee of the provincial food security and nutrition platform COPIL/PPSAN, Mr. Melchiade Ntahongendereye, after a meeting to draw up the annual action plan for the 2023-2024 budget year, which he held for members.
According to Mr. Ntahongendereye, people have not yet understood the advantage of consuming a balanced diet, despite the possession of products from livestock and agriculture, containing the essential nutrients for human health.
However, according to the deputy chair of COPIL/PPSAN, those products are sold on the market instead of being consumed. By way of illustration, Mr. Ntahongendereye specified that there are citizens who raise laying hens, but who never consume eggs. Rather, they sell them and prefer the consumption of sweet potatoes alone, while vegetables and beans are there for the mix, he deplored. It is also obvious that some families waste all the production in the dry season to get drunk and entertain themselves, the deputy chairman of PPSAN added.
To deal with all those challenges, the deputy chairman of the steering committee of the provincial platform for food security and nutrition has indicated that efforts will be made mainly on increasing production and its good management as well as well as on the consumption of a balanced diet to fight against those frequent malnutrition diseases, especially in small children.
He reassured an excellent implementation of those actions because the soil of that province is more productive for the cultivation of peanuts, rice, beans, sweet potatoes, cassava, fruits like pineapple and so many others that can contribute to the improvement of good health.