Chairperson,
Honourable Governors,
His Excellency the President of IFAD,
Distinguished Delegates and Participants.

Chairperson, allow me to begin by congratulating you upon your election to chair the 36th Session of the overning Council.

 Having  accomplished the important task of electing the President of the Fund, I wish to congratulate the President of IFAD Dr. Kanayo Nwanze, on behalf of the Government and  People of the Kingdom of Lesotho upon his deserved re-election by the Governing Council, which clearly attests to his proven expertise, experience and commitment. Mr President, Lesotho attaches great importance to the mandate of IFAD particularly geared to the elimination of hunger and alleviation of poverty. It is with this in mind that my delegation fully endorses your appointment as President of the Fund and Lesotho assures you its support, cooperation and remains a reliable partner in the quest for achieving the global goal of having a world without hunger for which IFAD stands for.

Chairperson, On  behalf of  the Lesotho  delegation  I commend the IFAD Secretariat for prompting its Governors to dwell on one of the crucial issues that will help the growing nations  be able to overcome poverty and achieve food security.

The theme of the 36th IFAD Session of the Governing Council The power of partnership: forging alliance for sustainable smallholder agriculture reminds me that partnership is based on a goal. It is an agreement to cooperate in order to advance the partner’s common interest, mobilising their strength and resources in a transparent and equitable manner.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, we further express our heartfelt appreciation for a continued support by IFAD to improve agricultural development in Lesotho, in order to reduce the high level of hunger and poverty, especially in the rural areas where most people are faced with food insecurity. IFAD’s continued support has enabled us to reach the most isolated and poor communities. All these efforts that have been made to reach the communities has not been a smooth road due to the nature of our country’s terrain, amongst other constraints.
We suffered severe unfavourable weather conditions in 2011/12 that resulted in the worst poor harvest ever and an increase in the numbers of vulnerable people. Over 30 % of the population is food insecure compared to 10% in the past.  This prompted the Government of Lesotho to declare an emergency of food insecurity.

The Government of Lesotho intervened by providing a 50 % subsidy for field operations and agricultural input supply. Additional assistance also came from some cooperating partners and we are grateful. By way of redressing the situation,  the main focus is on improving the supply of inputs for vulnerable farming households, strengthening national capacity for conservation agriculture and strengthening local seed production capacity, in partnership with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, this council’s theme gives us impetus in improving communication, sharing information and mobilizing resources with all stakeholders in the agriculture and food security sector. Indeed, the fight against hunger, malnutrition and poverty requires a concerted effort by all partners.

In this respect, I would like to congratulate IFAD for having organized the side events as they provide us with the means to truly exchange and share our individual views, expertise and experience in  supporting smallholder farmers towards increasing their participation in public-private partnership, so that they are better equipped to address the impact of climate change and markets.

In conclusion, Chairperson, I commend and urge IFAD to continue its good work in  assisting  developing countries like ours in order to eradicate hunger and poverty as well as improving our national economies, as it clearly articulated in the policy of the new Government with agriculture  being a priority for the new administration. On behalf of the Kingdom of Lesotho, we pledge to commit ourselves to act as catalysts in leveraging support to the smallholder farmers, their local and national farmers’ organizations and in promoting consultative forums for partnership development with  non-governmental organizations,  the private sector and other agricultural development stakeholders.

I thank you for your attention.