The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Emergency Food Rations and Storage Network Workshop, hosted by the Republic of China (R.O.C.), has concluded successfully on April 11, 2012, after two days of talks. Over 60 representatives from 19 APEC nations, including the United States, Australia, Japan, China, Thailand, Peru, the Philippines and Brunei, discussed the framework concept, socio-economic impact and the financial feasibility of the Emergency Food Rations plan in the hopes of implementing it soon. The Council of Agriculture (COA) explained that the R.O.C. government will take into consideration the feedback offered by other nations in the meeting and revise the action plan accordingly in time for the series of food security talks to be held in May at Kazan, Russia. If the plan is endorsed by the APEC committee, the COA hopes that other nations would voluntarily join in the efforts to create a food safety net in the Asia-Pacific in order to ensure the region’s food security.

Nations acknowledge the value of the Emergency Food Rations plan

During the opening ceremony, COA Minister Chen Bao-ji pointed out that the frequency and magnitude of natural disasters have been exacerbated by climate change in recent years. The complex geography of the Asia-Pacific region means that the effects of climate change must be mitigated with emergency plans dealing with food shortages and natural disasters. The APEC Emergency Food Rations and Storage Network, first proposed by the R.O.C. in August 2010, is a cooperative scheme that combines international assistance with regional institutions to supply disaster-affected areas with food aid.

The COA added that the plan had received the support of APEC nations in terms of the framework concept, cooperative methods, diversification of risks, emergency communications network as well as international and regional assistance. The workshop also addressed preventative measures to ensure that food aid conducted during a regional disaster would not adversely impact the prices and supplies of the international food market.

The Emergency Food Rations plan garners support

The COA stressed that APEC nations have reached a preliminary consensus during the April workshop, and it hopes that the action plan will be formally endorsed during the Second APEC Ministerial Meeting on Food Security, which will be hosted by Russia’s Kazan in May. The COA is optimistic that APEC members will volunteer to cast their weight behind the goal of “ensuring regional food security through emergency humanitarian aid.”