Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Le Luong Minh has underlined the need to boost food security and nutrition in the region in the context of growing population and global demand for food.

At a June 26 reception for Malaysian Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob, Minh congratulated Yaakob on his role as the chair of the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF).

He said his hope that with his immense knowledge and experience in the field, the Malaysian minister will make active and effective contributions to ASEAN cooperation on food, agriculture and forestry.

In addition, he stressed the crucial role played by the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework and Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security (SPA-FS) in post-2015 in addressing relevant issues and exposing solutions to enhance agricultural productivities and investment in agricultural science and technology.

For his part, Yaakob said the 35 th Special Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the AMAF and relevant meetings, scheduled to take place in Malaysia in August, will focus on food security, reduction of post-harvest loss and climate change.

He emphasised the need to enhance collaboration between ASEAN and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), including the ASEAN-FAO Save Food Campaign for higher food security and safety.-VNA