APEC Seeks to Widen Use of Agri-biotech for Food Security

Member economies of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are seeking to widen the availability of agricultural biotechnologies to attain food security and boost farmer incomes. Agriculture and biotechnology experts from the Pacific Rim have laid the groundwork for increased regulatory and technical collaboration to support these objectives during the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology—Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group Joint Meeting held in Medan, Indonesia.

Dr. Kasdi Subagyono, who chaired the joint meeting, said "We are focused on improving innovation within the agricultural sector as a path towards greater food security." Participants of the joint meeting agreed that biotechnology can boost production for small rural farmers and will play a role in alleviating poverty. They also recognized that biotechnology will reduce the impact of agriculture on the environment.

The joint meeting also discussed measures that will promote increased transparency and understanding of agricultural sector regulation as the participants agreed that coordinated agricultural policymaking and capacity building will facilitate a more balanced adoption of biotechnology in the region.

For more information, read the APEC news release available at: http://www.apec.org/Press/News-Releases/2013/0704_agbio.aspx.