Executives of the Department of Agriculture and the United Nations’s Food and Agriculture Organization recently met to lay out plans for bolstering and raising the Philippine agriculture sector.

During the high-level ministerial session of the 37th FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific, held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 19 to 22 February, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and FAO director-general, Dr. Quo Dongyu, held bilateral talks where the FAO official cited the Philippine aquaculture sector as a "promising industry" that aids in providing a decent livelihood, improving food security and nutrition, and contributing to the country’s economic growth.

Laurel and Dongyu also discussed plans for raising the country's rice productivity, such as the implementation of improved and resilient rice varieties in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute and local government units.

Furthermore, the roles of technology, innovation, equipment, mechanization, and digitalization in revamping the country's agri-food system were also reviewed by the two officials.

Laurel welcomed FAO's support for the aquaculture sector and recognized its efforts in supporting the government’s plan to achieve food security through emergency assistance, including improvements in agricultural and fisheries productivity and resilience, among other interventions. He also commended the leadership of FAO’s Representative in the Philippines, Dr. Lionel Dabbadie.

“We value a strong FAO Country Office in the Philippines with the FAO Headquarters’ continued full support, including technical cooperation programs. We would also appreciate continued assistance for the successful implementation of the Green Climate Fund project for the Philippines,” said Laurel.

The FAO’s Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific, held every two years, is attended by Ministers of Agriculture and other executives from its member-states to discuss challenges and recommendations related to food and agriculture.