The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
Business Advisory Council (ABAC) has seen an emerging threat to food security
as well as participation of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to the
global food value chain in the region.
ABAC Chair Doris Magsaysay-Ho, during the High Level Policy Dialogue on Food Security and the Blue Economy (HLPD-FSBE) Meeting here, said there is now a growing consolidation of ownership of food value chain.
Ho mentioned that this poses a threat to the viability of MSMEs and leads to the development of “choke points” in the supply chain.
“Today, bigger and more complex issues have also emerged. Growing consolidation of ownership of food value chain is leading to intense competition between global and regional supply chains,” she said.
“Choke points also begin to develop in critical areas, including food-water choke points, affecting global capacity to grow enough food to sustain a growing global population,” she added.
The ABAC chair also mentioned that the consolidation of ownership of food value chain indicates “too much power in the hands of few players and economies”, not the promotion of inclusive growth.
Ho mentioned that as early as 1999, APEC Ministers have agreed on the overriding objective of the APEC Food System (AFS) as proposed by ABAC on 1998 to efficiently link together food production, food processing and consumption as a comprehensive approach to action in the food sector.
APEC Leaders likewise adopted ABAC’s recommendation for rural infrastructure development, technological advances in food production and processing, and promoting trade in food products.
“Sixteen years after ABAC’s recommendations were adopted, we remain faced by the same issues,” she noted.
“Food supply chains across the region remain frustrated by poor infrastructure. Lack or absence of financing and incentives continue to hound MSMEs, effectively preventing them from participating in supply chains; non-tariff barriers continue to abound; and the need to develop predictable, evidence-based food safety standards remains very pronounced,” she added.
ABAC, as the voice of the business community in the Asia Pacific region, pushes for strengthened collaboration between public and private sectors and hastening actions toward ensuring food security.
“The private sector needs to be part of the solution for food security, working in partnership with governments,” Ho said.
“I wish to underscore the importance of ensuring sustainability of global food systems and the importance of meeting growing food demand without sacrificing the resources of future generations,” the ABAC chair added.
It was projected that by 2050, the global population will hit nine billion with sixty percent of the number in the Asia Pacific.
This will require 70 percent more food in the next 35 years. (PCOO News Release)
ABAC Chair Doris Magsaysay-Ho, during the High Level Policy Dialogue on Food Security and the Blue Economy (HLPD-FSBE) Meeting here, said there is now a growing consolidation of ownership of food value chain.
Ho mentioned that this poses a threat to the viability of MSMEs and leads to the development of “choke points” in the supply chain.
“Today, bigger and more complex issues have also emerged. Growing consolidation of ownership of food value chain is leading to intense competition between global and regional supply chains,” she said.
“Choke points also begin to develop in critical areas, including food-water choke points, affecting global capacity to grow enough food to sustain a growing global population,” she added.
The ABAC chair also mentioned that the consolidation of ownership of food value chain indicates “too much power in the hands of few players and economies”, not the promotion of inclusive growth.
Ho mentioned that as early as 1999, APEC Ministers have agreed on the overriding objective of the APEC Food System (AFS) as proposed by ABAC on 1998 to efficiently link together food production, food processing and consumption as a comprehensive approach to action in the food sector.
APEC Leaders likewise adopted ABAC’s recommendation for rural infrastructure development, technological advances in food production and processing, and promoting trade in food products.
“Sixteen years after ABAC’s recommendations were adopted, we remain faced by the same issues,” she noted.
“Food supply chains across the region remain frustrated by poor infrastructure. Lack or absence of financing and incentives continue to hound MSMEs, effectively preventing them from participating in supply chains; non-tariff barriers continue to abound; and the need to develop predictable, evidence-based food safety standards remains very pronounced,” she added.
ABAC, as the voice of the business community in the Asia Pacific region, pushes for strengthened collaboration between public and private sectors and hastening actions toward ensuring food security.
“The private sector needs to be part of the solution for food security, working in partnership with governments,” Ho said.
“I wish to underscore the importance of ensuring sustainability of global food systems and the importance of meeting growing food demand without sacrificing the resources of future generations,” the ABAC chair added.
It was projected that by 2050, the global population will hit nine billion with sixty percent of the number in the Asia Pacific.
This will require 70 percent more food in the next 35 years. (PCOO News Release)
No comments:
Post a Comment