Morocco honoured for 'remarkable progress' in fighting hunger and malnutrition

, June 17: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has awarded

, along with China and Chile, a prize in recognition for its "remarkable progress" in fighting hunger, the Moroccan news agency MAP reported.

The prize was handed to Morocco's agriculture and sea fisheries minister, Aziz Akhannouch, during an official ceremony held at the FAO head office in Rome Monday under the chairmanship of FAO Director General, José Graziano da Silva.

Morocco was prized for reducing under-nutrition prevalence from 6.7 percent in 1990-92 to less than 5 percent in 2011-2013. In the same period, the number of undernourished people went down from 1.7 million to 1.6 million.

Morocco will also be honored during the FAO council session as it was invited to present its "Green plan" and sign a tripartite agreement of South-South cooperation (FAO-Morocco-Guinea).

IANS