Phl on right track with rice self-sufficiency program - Alcala

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is “on the right track” with its self-sufficiency program for rice and other major food crops, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said.

Alcala, who attended recently an APEC Ministerial Meeting on Food Security in Niigata, Japan, said this meeting made him realize the need for the DA to give importance to the country’s self-sufficiency program.

He acknowledged that the Philippines can no longer simply rely on other countries to supply its needs as those countries are also now concerned with securing their own food supplies in the face of climate change.

The two-day Asia Pacific Econo-mic Cooperation meeting tackled issues that included sustainable agricultural development and reliable access to food. At the end of the meeting, the ministers issued the Niigata Declaration on APEC Food Security which recognized the region’s vulnerability to food price spikes, population increases, constraints on agricultural production and how these issues impact long-term food security.

They acknowledged that trade plays a key role in food security and that improved food security in the region would contribute to the attainment of APEC’s human security goals and assist the implementation of the APEC leaders’ growth strategy.

APEC member-economies agreed to collectively pursue shared goals of sustainable development of the agricultural sector and facilitation of investment, trade and markets.

Ministers agreed that cooperation is required in order to help adapt to, and mitigate, climate change and to enhance disaster preparedness in the agricultural sector to help the region achieve a stable supply of food for its people.

Other agreed actions are the following: expanding food supply capacity; enhancing disaster preparedness in agriculture; developing rural communities and confronting challenges in climate change and natural resource management.

The APEC ministers also agreed that food security cannot be achieved without stable, efficient and equitable distribution systems that can deliver food to the whole population.

To accomplish the goal of facilitation of investment, trade and markets, they agreed that APEC economies should cooperate to: promote investment in agriculture; facilitate trade in food and agricultural products; strengthen confidence in agricultural markets; improve agribusiness environment; and improve food safety practices.

Ministers also endorsed the APEC Action Plan on Food Security which identifies specific activities to be implemented by APEC economies to strengthen regional food security.

With inputs from the Food and Agriculture Organization, Asia Development Bank, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the World Food Program, the World Bank, the United Nations’ High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the ministers recognized that meaningful consultation with relevant stakeholders is critical to making sustained progress towards food security goals.

The APEC ministers will convey the outcome of their meeting to APEC leaders when they meet in Yokohama, Japan later this week.