October 9, 2012
Malaysia recommends putting up Seed Council for Asia-Pacific region
In order to ensure sustainability of the food supply chain, Malaysia proposes setting up of a Seed Council for the Asia-Pacific region.
The proposal was put forward by Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar, who headed the Malaysian delegation to the high level Regional Consultation on Policies to Respond to High Food Prices in Asia and the Pacific Region, in Bangkok, Thailand.
According to a statement from the ministry, during the two-day consultation which began October 1, Noh called for a reform from production oriented to supply value chain oriented approach to food sustainability.
"Malaysia is of the view that agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilisers are the crux of agricultural production.
"With climate change influencing the production of
crops, there is a need to introduce hybrid seeds that can sustain any adverse conditions and environment," he said.
Malaysia has set up a National Seed Council, which according to Noh is a prime mover for the Seed Bank under the regional initiative.
Noh also urged all the member countries to have a collective response and effective measures to overcome all threats, food insecurity, price volatility, climate change and extreme natural disasters.
Twenty-two countries, mainly from the Asia-Pacific region attended the consultation, which was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) Office for Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, supported by Asian Development Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme of the UN.