The government on Sunday unveiled a 10-year action plan to completely eliminate hunger.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and World Food Programme Director General José Graziano da Silva jointly released the “National Action Plan on Zero Hunger Initiative in Nepal” (2016-2025) amid a function.

Oli said the government was committed to reducing hunger to zero before the deadline. “We will solve this problem within a few years,” he said, adding after the promulgation of new Constitution, the country’s priority now is economic transformation.

The plan to eliminate hunger from around the world was first endorsed in the Rio+20 meeting of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil in 2012.

As per the action plan, the government will ensure year-round food availability, eliminate stunting in children below two years of age, increasing productivity and income of small farmers by 100 percent and ensuring minimal wastage of food.

The plan also incorporates issues like distribution of foodstuff in different phases, stress on production of local agriculture productions, utilisation of barren land, irrigation facility and guarantee of markets, among others.

According to the United Nations World Food Organisation, more than 87 million people face starvation and malnutrition across the globe. Unequal distribution of foodstuff and discrimination are the main causes behind it.

Oli said the government is committed to making the country self-reliant in food in the next two years.

The government will have to spend Rs25 billion annually to achieve the target of completely eliminating hunger in next 10 years. Nepal’s 32 districts face food deficits and it ranks 44th among 76 countries that are facing hunger.