APEC food security meeting highlights agricultural cooperation

The 11th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Food Security Ministerial Meeting was held in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Tuesday, bringing together representatives from 21 APEC economies and international organizations to discuss ways to strengthen regional food security.

Around 200 representatives from APEC economies, the APEC Secretariat and organizations including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations attended the meeting, focusing on topics including high-quality agricultural and rural development, technological innovation and the role of digital agriculture in enhancing food security.

Tom Rosser, assistant deputy minister at Canada's Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-Food, praised China's achievements in agricultural development and innovation.

China's success in eliminating absolute poverty, strengthening food security and ensuring stable food supplies for a huge population is unprecedented in human development, Rosser said.

China has also accumulated valuable experience in digital agriculture, smart farming and climate-adaptive breeding, he said, adding that through long-term cooperation and opening up, it has built a comprehensive system for agricultural innovation and industrial development, which is highly valuable for APEC economies to learn from.

The meeting adopted a joint declaration calling for continued cooperation to improve food production and quality, boost efficiency and strengthen the resilience of regional food systems.

It also adopted principles on innovation and digitalization, establishing a framework to strengthen decision-making, connectivity and responses across the food chain.

Representatives discussed priorities including digital transformation of agriculture, improving food system resilience, facilitating regional trade and advancing practical cooperation, with the aim of strengthening agricultural cooperation mechanisms and promoting sustainable development across the Asia-Pacific region.

Zhao Bing, representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) in China, called for deeper cooperation among APEC economies to share agricultural innovation and development experiences, including those from China.

"We look forward to APEC economies deepening cooperation, sharing agricultural innovation achievements and development experience, facilitating agricultural trade and jointly building resilient food systems," Zhao said.

He added that such efforts would help address risks including extreme weather and supply chain disruptions, safeguard regional and global food security, and contribute to the goal of achieving zero hunger worldwide.