Delegates to the ASEAN Food Security Reserve Board (AFSRB)'s meeting on June 7. (Photo: ariefprasetyoadi.com) Jakarta (VNA) – Food-related issues, including the food crisis, El Nino and food reserves, have been discussed at the ASEAN Food Security Reserve Board (AFSRB)'s meeting that opened on June 7 in Bogor district in Indonesia's West Java province.
Head of Indonesia’s National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi said the two-day meeting underlines the crucial issues raised by Indonesian President Joko Widodo regarding the threats of food shortages and starvation across the globe as the results of climate change.
Adi also said that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has exacerbated problems in the agriculture sector.
According to the official, the meeting would also update information on the current issues concerning ASEAN countries' needs, then seek solutions to address their problems by taking intergovernmental measures.
Adi said that one of the ways to help ASEAN deal with food security is to strengthen the commitment of countries in the region through the ASEAN Leaders' Declaration on Food Security, which would be discussed at the AFSRB meeting before submitting it to the ASEAN Summit in September.
He emphasised that the above declaration is an effort to develop mechanisms and unify the role of all relevant sectoral bodies in ASEAN, including those in agriculture, trade, finance, and transportation for enhancing food security and nutrition.
Currently, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) consists of 10 members, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam./.
