Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)Le Luong Minh has underlined the need to boost food security andnutrition in the region in the context of growing population and globaldemand for food.

At a June 26 reception for Malaysian Ministerof Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob, Minhcongratulated Yaakob on his role as the chair of the ASEAN Ministers ofAgriculture and Forestry (AMAF).

He said his hope that with hisimmense knowledge and experience in the field, the Malaysian ministerwill make active and effective contributions to ASEAN cooperation onfood, agriculture and forestry.

In addition, he stressed thecrucial role played by the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS)Framework and Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security (SPA-FS) inpost-2015 in addressing relevant issues and exposing solutions toenhance agricultural productivities and investment in agriculturalscience and technology.

For his part, Yaakob said the 35 thSpecial Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the AMAF and relevantmeetings, scheduled to take place in Malaysia in August, will focuson food security, reduction of post-harvest loss and climate change.

He emphasised the need to enhance collaboration between ASEAN and theUN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), including the ASEAN-FAO SaveFood Campaign for higher food security and safety.-VNA