KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has called for the creation of a common fund dedicated to the development of innovation and research and development (R&D) activities for the benefit of Asean member countries.
The deputy prime minister noted that to produce the desired outcome arising from new technologies and innovations, the 10-member Asean should continue generating extensive and expansive research and development activities.
“We could resolve the technological challenges and barriers together by effectively pooling our resources instead of doing it individually,” Muhyiddin (picture) said in his opening speech of the 35th Meeting of Asean Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry here today.
“Perhaps with a common and greater pool of investment, better and wider options of R&D outputs and efficient costing could facilitate Asean members to choose and apply technologies and methods for their respective countries, hence leading to higher productivity and competitiveness,” he added.
Also present were Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Yukol Limlamthong, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as well as his deputy Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman.
Muhyiddin noted that even with the economic progress and modernisation achieved by Asean countries today, the future of global and regional agriculture and food scenario was still uncertain.
“In Asean, as our income and standards of living continue to rise, the challenge is not only to produce sufficient food but to produce the so-called ‘richer food’ such as meat and milk to satisfy regional demand,” he said.
In this regard, the deputy prime minister said there was a need for Asean to work closely to drive important initiatives on food security.
On threats to food security due to climate change, Muhyiddin urged Asean to seek solutions to mitigate its effects, including by undertaking collective efforts to reduce activities which contributed to global warming.
Muhyiddin said while addressing food security issues, Asean states must also reinforce strategies and activities which promoted sustainable forest management.
“We should strive to put in place best practices and meaningful mechanisms identified by international and regional conventions for sustainable forest management into our respective domestic framework,” he added.
Asean comprises Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. — Bernama
