THE Philippines called for stronger regional coordination to safeguard food security across the Asia-Pacific during a regional meeting of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization last week.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday said that the country, along with Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia, had pushed for the inclusion of the Middle East war’s impact on food security in the conference’s agenda.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who attended the gathering, was quoted as having said: “We meet at a moment when geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have posed additional risks to global economic and food security through disruptions in oil, gas and fertilizer exports, which have already triggered price hikes.”
He stressed the need for a regional “agri-food systems approach” that not only focuses on production targets but also income stability, nutrition outcomes and rural development.
The Philippines also held bilateral meetings with officials from Laos and Vietnam regarding agricultural cooperation, technology exchange and trade facilitation, the DA said.
The department said the effects of global energy shocks on domestic agricultural production were one of the key concerns raised given surging prices of fuel and fertilizer, two key inputs.
For the Philippines, the department said that increasing fertilizer costs were specifically challenging during the wet planting season when the demand for the product soars.
Increased fuel prices have also raised the cost of transporting food across the country, which is an archipelago, and added to price pressures. Fishing activity has likewise slowed because of higher operating costs.
The possibility of a strong El Niño later this year will exacerbate the situation, the DA said.
The department said the Philippines’ concerns were reinforced by FAO chief economist Maximo Torero, who in a briefing highlighted the global nature of supply chain vulnerabilities and the need for coordinated policy responses to manage volatility in food and input markets.
