CABI has shared its expertise on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues and food safety at the 2nd Annual Food Security Asia Congress where more than 50 speakers and over 300 delegates gathered to discuss latest advancements in regional food security.
The event, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, which took place in conjunction with the globally recognized MAHA: GO GLOBAL Exhibition 2024, was held under the theme ‘Accelerating the pace for sustainable food systems’ in the Asia Pacific region.
Datuk Seri Haji Mohamad bin Sabu, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), Malaysia, opened the congress which saw a variety of presentations and discussions on topics including key policy drivers, case studies, animal and plant breeding, agriculture, food production and next generation food innovations.
Boosting agricultural productivity in Asia and the Pacific is crucial
According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), boosting agricultural productivity in Asia and the Pacific is crucial to reduce poverty and support development, as more than 70% of the region’s poor people live in rural areas, and a third of Asia’s workers work in agriculture.
The ADB adds that food demand is increasing and shifting toward animal products, requiring more resource-intensive agricultural production. But Asia’s agricultural productivity is hindered by a rural population that is shrinking and aging. And the sector is exposed to risks from a changing climate, and from agricultural practices that are environmentally unsustainable.
Dr Babar Bajwa, Senior Regional Director, Asia, Dr Feng Zhang, Regional Director, East & South-East Asia, and Dr Vinod Pandit, Regional Director, South Asia, all attended the event to highlight CABI’s work from its regional centre in Malaysia which extends across the whole of South East Asia.
More than 50 speakers and over 300 delegates gathered to discuss latest advancements in regional food security (Credit: CABI).
This includes working with the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and the use of safer-to-use and environmentally friendly bioprotection products to fight crop pests and diseases such as the fall armyworm, diamondback moth, and stemborers and leaf-feeders of rice.
Sanitary and phytosanitary agreements and harmonisation of trade protocols
Dr Bajwa sat on the expert panel session for ‘The Future of Food Security in Asia: Multilateral Trading and Sustainable Agriculture’ alongside his fellow panellists. He shared CABI’s expertise on issues such as SPS agreements and harmonisation of trade protocols and processes to aid in market access for agricultural goods.
He also explored the importance of science underpinning evidence-based policy decisions on agricultural trade, sustainable agriculture and climate change; CABI as a member country-based organisation, providing a platform for connecting agricultural stakeholders including the private sector to discuss agri-related issues, developments and market access.
Dr Bajwa also spoked about innovations including the CABI BioProtection Portal, recently launched in Malaysia, which is an invaluable free-to-use tool for biopesticides and non-chemical pest control contributing to sustainable agriculture and a greener food security future.
Increase trade of safe food and food security
Dr Bajwa said, “One of the biggest non-tariff barriers affecting food trade in Asia are SPS measures that are underdeveloped, inconsistent with sound scientific principles, do not follow or utilize international standards, guidelines or tools or critically are not transparent or harmonized with their neighbours.
“The good news is that there are significant opportunities to work together to address these SPS constraints that is mutually beneficial for farmers and consumers alike and increase trade of safe food and food security.
“It all starts with countries working together bilaterally and regionally and with scientific organizations like CABI to identify what are the major constraints, develop solutions, and ensure sufficient dedicated time and resources to implement lasting resolution.”
He said one of the areas that CABI is prioritizing generally is promoting the adoption and availability of low-risk plant protection tools such as biopesticides that have the potential to help with food security, food safety and market access for farmers in the region. The CABI BioProtection Portal, Dr Bajwa added, is an important resource in this regard.
Requires countries working together bilaterally and regionally
Dr Bajwa said, “While CABI has only been involved on the periphery, APEC economies have made great strides developing and approving guidelines and frameworks focused on food safety and trade via the APEC Food Safety Cooperation Forums. These efforts have utility not only within APEC economies but potentially across the world.
“CABI for example has past and future programming focused on the APEC Food Safety Risk Communication Framework and Associated Guidelines, and ASEAN Import Maximum Residue Levels (iMRL) guidelines, helping countries to utilize these tools to support both food safety and trade.
“As is always the case with the big questions around trade, food safety and food security, it really requires countries working together bilaterally and regionally and with organizations like CABI to help to increase capacity and find mutually beneficial solutions.”
The 2nd Annual Food Security Asia Congress was held with MAFS as well as MARDI, who were positioned as the event ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS.
Support was provided by organizations including Agrobank, Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS), The Indonesian Feed Millers Association (GPMT), Partnership For Indonesia’s Sustainable Agriculture (PISAgro), and the Association of Indonesian Food and Beverage Producers (GAPMMI).
Dr Bajwa (far right) with other members of the panel session ‘The Future of Food Security in Asia: Multilateral Trading and Sustainable Agriculture’ (Credit: CABI).
Additional information
Main image: Dr Bajwa, on the panel of experts, spoke about issues such as sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreements and harmonisation of trade protocols and processes to aid in market access for agricultural goods (Credit: CABI).
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24 September 2024
