Pinas, handang makatrabaho ang mga ASEAN partners para sa food security

HANDA  ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas na makatrabaho ang Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) upang tiyakin ang food security sa bansa at sa rehiyon.

Nakiisa si Pangulong Marcos sa kanyang mga kapwa lider sa  idinaos na 25th ASEAN Plus Three (China, Japan, Korea) Summit sa Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

“Attaining food self-sufficiency and security by seeking innovative solutions through adoption of new technologies and enhanced connectivity to national, regional, and global value supply chains … must be one of our utmost priorities in the region,” ayon kay Pangulong Marcos.

“The Philippines reaffirms our commitment to actively engage in the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve or APTERR, [which] is extremely beneficial to our countries. We are vulnerable to many hazards and natural calamities due to topography and geographic location,” dagdag na wika nito.

Gayundin, sinabi ng Chief Executive na handa ang Pilipinas na makipag- collaborate sa ASEAN Plus Three (APT) partners  sa  New Work Plan 2023-2027, na magsisilbing gabay sa susunod na limang taon.

Tatalakayin sa plano ang iba’t ibang  aspeto gaya ng “public health, food security, financial cooperation, and digital economy particularly as the region moves towards the post-pandemic recovery.”

Ipinanukala naman ni Pangulong Marcos ang pag-iba-iba ng  APTERR sa pamamagitan ng pagdaragdag  sa iba pang  commodities at staple food  na reserba sa  pinahusay na food security.

Gayundin, ipinanukala ni Pangulong Marcos ang eskplorasyon ng  smart agriculture at pagsasagawa ng  capacity-building programs para sa  ASEAN members at maging ang pagsasagawa ng forums  na magsisilbing plataporma  para pa-usapan ang regional concerns sa agriculture at food security.

“In as much as our region is primarily maritime in character and concerns, we must put a premium in strengthening the multi-faceted nature of our maritime cooperation. Let us continue to work with our APT partners through activities such as safety and freedom of navigation, with the end view of promoting peace, stability, security and prosperity in accordance with the relevant international and regional treaties and agreements including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” ayon sa Pangulo. (Daris Jose)