'Asean must work together to ensure food security for the region' | Business and Politics - video Dailymotion

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'Asean must work together to ensure food security for the region' | Business and Politics  Former Agriculture secretary, Dr. William Dar, says that Asean must work collectively to ensure food security for the region. Collaboration and elevation of the agriculture sector between neighbor countries secure sustainability.  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe   Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net   Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion   Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #TheManilaTimes

Transcript

00:00 Sir, you were at the ASEAN Summits, the Investment and Business Investment Summit and the other

00:08 summits. What are some of the key takeaways, sir, in the meetings that you attended that

00:14 is relevant to our agriculture sector?

00:17 Okay, number one, as an ASEAN community, I believe that countries must elevate our engagement

00:28 in terms of ensuring food security for the whole ASEAN region. And while there is now

00:34 an existing mechanism of having to be part of the solutions, like those who are producing,

00:42 say, rice, can be part of, say, having part of their buffer stock good for, say, natural

00:51 calamities.

00:52 I see.

00:53 And that happens to a number of countries, so we should contribute from time to time.

00:59 That I believe we should increase the volume, not only from present level.

01:04 Okay.

01:05 Number two, we should hasten and harmonize the trade regulations so that, you know, we

01:14 are already one regional community.

01:17 Yeah, APTA.

01:18 So, again, looking at every opportunity that the balance of trade can be pursued as well,

01:28 in most cases, tayo na didihado pa rin hanggang ngayon eh.

01:32 Okay.

01:33 So we need to up our game in terms of our export orientation. You know, that's where

01:40 most of the ASEAN countries now are ahead of us because they have eyed on the export

01:47 potentials for their respective country.

01:50 Now, more than ever, we should not only look out for what we require here in the country,

01:56 but regionally, globally, export orientation is a must.

02:03 Then less trade restrictions, you know.

02:07 Even with APTA?

02:08 Even with all those existing agreements, there are still regulations.

02:15 I see.

02:16 That have to be harmonized. Harmonization is the name of the game.

02:21 Okay.

02:22 And the power of technology is one key thing that we have to be utilized in all respect.

02:32 All things about, again, harmonization for one and requirements, for example, on trade.

02:42 So I believe that this twin approach, you have the ASEAN government, that's the public

02:52 road, while there is the road for the Business Advisory Council.

02:57 I see.

02:58 This is a good twin model that has to interact regularly, which they are doing.

03:06 So in agriculture, like what we have signed, Malaysia for one, we said we are interested

03:16 in terms of palm oil, rubber, and they are also interested maybe in poultry because we

03:31 are almost there.

03:32 We are almost sufficient in poultry.

03:35 Okay.

03:36 We can export poultry to Malaysia.

03:38 So elevating the game again.

03:41 In terms of rubber and palm oil, we need to request newer varieties of this plantation

03:48 crops so that we can be competitive with the rest of the world.

03:52 Again, the word there is, Clink, is competitiveness.

03:58 Okay.

03:59 We need every step of the way now to be globally competitive.

04:02 Otherwise, we will be left behind.

04:05 So every opportunity in terms of elevating our productivity, even to the extent of, of

04:14 course, profitability will always be there.

04:17 So you need to lower your cost of production.

04:20 And sustainability concerns, the impacts of climate change.

04:25 We need now to decarbonize our agriculture because agriculture is one of the source of

04:34 the greenhouse emission.

04:36 Sir, one of the things I heard during the meetings was the need for more complementarity.

04:42 And you've been talking about that.

04:43 There should be more trade among the ASEAN members.

04:46 But one of the practical issues that I've heard from Filipinos is that we make many

04:52 of the same things that our neighbors make.

04:55 But do you see opportunities where complementarity can happen?

05:01 And where would those be, Nano, do you think?

05:04 Okay.

05:05 For example, I was talking already about the need of Malaysia or other countries where

05:14 the dominant population is Muslim.

05:17 So they eat chicken.

05:18 So they need halal products.

05:20 So this should be the demand of the Philippines to produce more of halal products and export

05:27 it to these countries dominated by Muslims.

05:31 So ganoon din saten, rice for one, initially, meanwhile.

05:36 So we have to develop more relations in terms of rice agriculture with Vietnam, with Thailand.

05:45 Although, of course, they came here and learned the trade, so to speak, early days.

05:52 But we are lacking in implementation in terms of the very requirements to make our rice

05:58 production sustainable.

05:59 Yeah.

06:00 Do you think, sir, RCEP will also help the agri-sector?

06:06 That's fully in place now.

06:07 There was that excitement about maybe exporting durian.

06:12 Are we ready?

06:13 I mean...

06:14 I think, again, the name of the game for RCEP is competitiveness.

06:19 Yes.

06:20 And, of course, competitiveness in terms of leveling up your productivity.

06:26 And being globally competitive, you reduce your cost of production.

06:32 And you have to have volume.

06:34 Okay.

06:35 You have to have quality.

06:36 Okay.

06:37 Consistently over time.

06:40 Otherwise, one thing you may say, "I will supply you, but next time around, you don't

06:49 have the volume.

06:50 You don't have the quality."

06:51 Sure.

06:52 But these are the long-term insights that you need to cultivate from now and then.

06:57 Yeah.

06:58 And seeing to it that the support system must be there for private sector, the farmers,

07:05 to really level up.

07:07 Yeah.

07:08 It's all elevating of our game in agriculture and agribusiness.

07:15 Do you think that the government should take a much more active approach?

07:19 Because some of the critics say that if you look at, say, pineapples, if you look at bananas,

07:27 these crops have really prospered.

07:31 And they prospered because government did not intervene.

07:33 Okay.

07:34 Is there an argument there?

07:35 Good.

07:36 You mentioned that.

07:37 Where the private sector leads, then you only have to have the nurturing support system.

07:45 Okay.

07:46 Where rice takes the case of rice, where government is investing so much, then there

07:52 is still subsistence rice farming.

07:55 So the more you engage with the private sector, the better.

08:01 The more you partner the private sector with the small farmers, the better.

08:06 But you need to go to clustering, consolidation, so you can have economy scale.

08:11 Yeah.

08:12 Sir, are there any particular crops that excite you?

08:16 Say, there's a lot of talk about coffee, cacao, for instance.

08:21 Are the opportunities there really worth looking into?

08:23 Very much so for cacao, coffee.

08:26 We only produce very little of our requirement.

08:29 Much of that still is imported.

08:31 Right.

08:32 Coconut, there's so much importance of coconut in terms of value-added products.

08:39 Okay.

08:40 So, andame.

08:41 Yeah.

08:42 What else?

08:43 Poultry.

08:44 Yeah.

08:45 Halal.

08:46 Yes.

08:47 Many of these products.

08:48 Sir, your predecessor, in my opinion, was talking about sorghum.

08:52 Is that possible?

08:53 Have you had a chance to look at it when you were in office?

08:59 It's an interesting crop.

09:00 Not many Filipinos know.

09:01 I had to look it up myself.

09:03 But apparently, it's gaining popularity in other countries.

09:07 You know, sorghum, we need a lot of that.

09:10 In terms of the feed industry.

09:13 Okay.

09:14 We need a lot of it.

09:15 Yes.

09:16 Now, I hope with that move of former Secretary Pinoy that he can succeed in reintroducing

09:25 because there's a lot of introductions of soybeans.

09:28 Right.

09:29 It didn't fail.

09:30 Here in North Luzon, this has been properly introduced.

09:35 But it never, you know, have been developed properly.

09:41 Again, what I'd like to derive there, Clint, is if the private sector leads, even in its

09:50 introduction and piloting until it is commercialized, you can see more success story than when the

09:58 government starts.

10:00 Ironically.

10:01 Yeah.

10:02 Yeah.

10:03 So, are there any particular crops that you think we should be looking at, maybe whether

10:08 it's the private sector, the government, you mentioned cacao, coffee, sorghum.

10:13 Is there anything else we should be looking at?

10:15 Or maybe are there things that maybe we're not paying attention to?

10:19 The high value crops in general.

10:20 Okay.

10:21 You know, vegetables and the annual fruits.

10:24 Okay.

10:25 This would be, I would consider them as the low hanging fruits.

10:30 Okay.

10:31 We should be investing more.

10:32 We should be diversifying the rice production areas into these high value commodities.

10:39 Because you can get more income per unit area than when you compare the income coming from

10:46 rice and corn.

10:47 Right.

10:48 So, again, the name of the game is diversification into high value agriculture.

10:53 Right.

10:54 So, what do you think about, say, cassava?

10:55 Because, you know, we were in Indonesia.

10:57 I hear that country uses cassava to make flour, noodles.

11:03 It's needed very much by the livestock industry.

11:06 Yes.

11:07 And I heard some of your Filipino friends who were with you, they were saying that there's

11:10 even technology to make noodles from pumpkins.

11:14 From...

11:15 Yeah.

11:16 Yeah.

11:17 Except we don't have the volume.

11:19 I see.

11:20 Again, it's all backyard.

11:21 It's all the small land holdings.

11:24 Okay.

11:25 So, that's why we can promote as many of these promising commodities if you have the scale.

11:32 Okay.

11:33 So, the farm clustering will be a key strategy to enticing, again, the private sector to

11:40 come forward.

11:41 They don't want additional lands.

11:43 They only want to have economies of scale.

11:46 I see.

11:47 By way of partnering with the small farmers.

11:50 Or if you have, for example, the lands in the ancestral domain, they want to partner

11:55 with the people in those areas.

11:58 Right.

11:59 So, just the government must see to it that the supporting mechanisms to make it possible

12:08 for this partnership to happen must be there.

12:11 Otherwise, ang hirap ng privadong sektor kung masyadong restrictive yung regulations

12:18 mo dun.

12:19 Right.

12:20 So, it's not a governmental orientation.

12:21 Right.

12:22 And, there should be a one-stop shop even in every department that will assist the private

12:28 sector now in a big way partnering with the small farmers and those in the ancestral domain

12:34 areas.

12:35 Interesting.

12:36 Wow, that's a lot of opportunity.

12:36 I'm excited.

12:37 Thank you.

12:45 (bell chimes)

12:47 [BLANK_AUDIO]

'Asean must work together to ensure food security for the region' | Business and Politics

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