Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Chen Bao-ji led a delegation on May 28 to attend the Second Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting on Food Security in Kazan, Russia. Chen will be speaking on the behalf of the Republic of China (R.O.C.) to APEC members on the island’s newest developments in food security, and relay the nation’s proposal on strengthening the food security of the Asia-Pacific region. The COA head will also be meeting with representatives from APEC nations, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Philippines, to discuss issues related to national food security.

APEC officials gather to discuss regional food security

The R.O.C. delegation, which includes COA Minister Chen and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Department of Health (DOA), will be in talks during May 30-31 at the Second APEC Ministerial Meeting on Food Security in Kazan, Russia. The Kazan event will continue discussions first brought up at the First APEC Ministerial Meeting on Food Security, which was hosted by Japan’s Niigata Prefecture in 2010. The 2012 gathering of agriculture, environment and food ministers from Asia-Pacific countries will primarily focus on two issues: how to safeguard the region’s food security, and how to address a food crisis if the peril does arise.

Rallying support for the APEC Emergency Food Rations Storage Network

In the 2010 Niigata Declaration on APEC Food Security, the R.O.C. delegation had drafted six action plans: APEC Emergency Food Rations and Storage Network, Post-harvest Treatment, Irrigational Networks, Food Production, Indigenous Crops and Slope-related Disaster Management. Upon arriving in Kazan, Minister Chen will explain in detail the implementation methods for the six action plans outlined in the 2010 declaration, and share with APEC leaders the island’s latest food-related developments, which include the lowering of food distribution costs, the monitoring of food safety, the safeguarding of food supplies for minority groups and the crackdown on illegal fishing and smuggling. The COA minister will also be rallying support for the APEC Emergency Food Rations and Storage Network in the hopes of persuading more regional allies to adopt the action plan, which was devised to strengthen the Asia-Pacific food security network.

COA minister to meet with major agricultural officials

The COA added that Minister Chen will also be in talks with agricultural ministers from the APEC nations of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Philippines. The talks will cover bilateral cooperation under the APEC framework as well as further exchanges in regards to agriculture and food security.