Virtual Training Workshop on ‘Compilation and Analysis of National Food Balance Sheets in OIC Countries’
Date: 18-20 October 2021
Venue: Virtual-SESRIC, Ankara - Türkiye

SESRIC organised a Virtual Training Workshop on ‘Compilation and Analysis of National Food Balance Sheets in OIC Countries’ in collaboration with the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 18-20 October 2021.

81 participants from the agricultural statistics units of the National Statistical Offices (NSOs) and Ministries of Agriculture (MoA) of 30 OIC countries as well as a representative from the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) participated in the training workshop. Experts of the Crops, Livestock & Food Statistics Section under Statistics Division (ESS) of FAO facilitated the three-day virtual training workshop.

The Virtual Training Workshop commenced with the opening remarks of H.E. Mr. Adnen Lassoued, Director General of the National Institute of Statistics (INS) of Tunisia, and Chairman of the 10th Session of OIC-StatCom which was read by Mr. Mohsen Hajjej, Deputy Director in charge of Coordination and International Cooperation of INS of Tunisia , stressing upon the importance of reliable and timely agricultural statistics in enhancing the production and distribution of food and agricultural products in the OIC member countries.

During his welcoming remarks, H.E. Mr. Nebil Dabur, Director General of SESRIC, underlined that the Virtual Training Workshop will contribute to enhancing the knowledge and experience of the NSOs and other relevant national institutions in OIC member countries on the technical subjects related to Food Balance Sheets, and, thus, contribute to the harmonization and standardization of monitoring food security and promotion of sustainable agricultural development in OIC member countries.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Mr. Fatih ÜNLÜ, Director General of COMCEC Coordination Office, highlighted the importance of data and information in developing strategies as well as to provide evidence to policy makers. In his remarks, Mr. Ünlü also mentioned about the financial support mechanisms of COMCEC extended to OIC member countries in the fields of economy and trade through the COMCEC Project Funding mechanism as well as the COVID Response Program. In his opening speech, Mr. Salar TAYYIB, Team Leader - Crops, Livestock & Food Statistics at FAO, briefed the participants on the work of his team and provided the objectives and benefits of the food balance sheets which provide comprehensive information on patterns, levels and trends of national diets, and play an important role for the analysis of the food and nutrition situation and for policymaking to address it.

The Virtual Training Workshop covered the following topics:

  • Introduction to Supply Utilization Accounts (SUA)/Food Balance Sheet (FBS)
  • Data for FBS Compilation Overview
  • Data Assessment and Other Preliminary Considerations
  • FBS Methodological Framework
  • FBS Components
  • Country Presentations: Experiences in the FBS compilation and main challenges
  • New FBS Country Compilation Tool (Using Data on Turkey)
  • Data Entry and Practical Showcase on the New FBS Country Compilation Tool

The Virtual Training Workshop was organised within the general framework of the project of SESRIC titled “Enhancing Food Security through National Food Balance Sheets” which was among the successful projects selected for co-funding in the 2021 implementation period of the COMCEC Project Funding.

The Workshop was conducted through a video conferencing platform by following synchronous learning and instruction approaches designed in line with the virtual training solutions undertaken by SESRIC in order to better serve the Centre’s training activities and keep participants motivated and engaged during this time of global crisis due to COVID-19.

All documents and presentations of the Workshop are available at this link.