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CropLife Asia: crop protection regulatory harmonization needed in ASEAN
Jul. 8, 2015
CropLife Asia
SingaporeFollow
SingaporeDr. Siang Hee Tan, Executive Director of CropLife Asia, highlighted the need for crop protection regulatory harmonization in ASEAN as a means to elevate all aspects of agriculture across the region at Responsible Business Forum on Food & Agriculture held in Vietnam last month. Dr. Tan also commended the conference's host country of Vietnam in its agricultural sustainability advancements as the nation approaches its 10-year regulatory anniversary with respect to plant biotechnology.
"Sustainable agriculture in ASEAN is not a preference or a hope, it's a necessity and shared responsibility," said Tan. "With the world changing around us, the demands we put on agriculture here in our region and around the world are changing as well. As we ask our farmers to feed more people, with less impact to the environment and fewer resources, equipping them with the latest tools and technology is essential.
"In ASEAN, it's important to take stock of the progress that's been made in advancing sustainable agriculture given its role in ensuring food security. With Vietnam poised to recognize a decade of regulatory work in support of the nation's developments in plant biotechnology, it represents a critically important and commendable step for the country and region.
"An opportunity for ASEAN to take a collective leap forward in agriculture sustainability exists in the area of crop protection regulatory harmonization," added Tan. "Bringing a harmonized regulatory framework to crop protection technology would deliver a slew of top-tier benefits to ASEAN agriculture, and the plant science industry for our region is advocating for its inclusion with AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) 2015. The stakes are simply too high to not take this critical step forward."
Agriculture is woven into the fabric of the cultures, traditions, and societies of the nations of Southeast Asia; and ASEAN is often recognized as the world's most productive food basket. However, among the top eight agro-producing countries of ASEAN, agriculture accounts for around 20% of national GDP on average, while the labor force working within the industry stands at a staggering 46% average. The disparity between the two figures highlights the opportunity that exists within the ASEAN agricultural sector to realize greater efficiency and robustness.
"The difference between those two numbers tells a story of opportunity. And unfortunately, by not seizing that opportunity fully, it keeps our region farther from the short term sustainability we're discussing today as well as food security for the future."
With AEC 2015 at hand, the ASEAN crop protection community is advocating the inclusion of regulatory harmonization for the industry as a means to support the region's countries in their pursuit of unique national agendas and agricultural goals. This important step will have a positive impact in this respect by:
- Ensuring ASEAN farmers have greater access to the latest in crop protection technology and innovations;
- Easing the burden for the Governments of ASEAN by enabling shared regulatory capacity, knowledge, and data among ASEAN members states - leading to minimized costs, redundancy, and waste;
- Helping fuel the ASEAN economic engine of agriculture by reducing barriers to trade and investment while protecting farmers from poor quality, illegal, and/or counterfeit chemicals which can reduce yield and harm the environment; and
- Positioning ASEAN member states to better meet the food security challenges of the next decade and beyond through the benefits of crop protection advancements.
Source: ACN Newswire
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