FOOD SECURITY TO BE FOCUS OF ISLAMIC LEADERS AT COMCEC

From Nor Baizura Basri

ISTANBUL, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- A roadmap on food security is expected to be
discussed among Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) leaders when they
converged at the first economic summit of the Standing Committee for Economic
and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) here.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said during one of the
sessions, they have agreed on a roadmap for food security which included the
setting up of a task force at the secretariat level.

"This task force will then propose suitable food security programmes that
can be implemented among OIC nations," he told reporters before attending the
summit here Monday.

Muhyiddin said Malaysia was ready to collaborate with OIC member countries
in terms of science and technology in food production as well as in getting
financial assistance from international financial institutions like the
International Development Bank (IDB).

"We want OIC member countries to give attention and focus on raising food
production. Because of this, we are prepared to work together with them in
raising the food production at each country," he said.

He cited the example of rice production, saying Malaysia has used various
methods to improve production up to 90 per cent, including the use of better
seedlings, optimising use of land and having better infrastructure in the
sector.

On the halal standard, Muhyiddin said the standard being used by Malaysia is
among the best and could be considered as guidelines for creating the global
halal standard for use by other OIC nations.

"The OIC general guidelines on halal food, guidelines for bodies providing
halal certification and guidelines for authorised halal accreditation bodies
will be presented at the next COMCEC meeting next year," he said.

Through this, it could speed up the process for uniform halal standards
among the OIC member countries, he added.

"We want efforts aiming at uniform halal standards to be stepped up among
the OIC member countries as the market has big potential and estimated to be
worth more than US$1 trillion," Muhyiddin said.

"The OIC countries should lead, not only from the product aspect but also in
services," he said.

Muhyiddin also said that the trade preferential system among the OIC
nations, which had been on the table for discussion for seven years, has now
shown a positive outcome.

"As Bangladesh has ratified the protocol on the preferential tariff system,
we hope that this can now start," he said.

The system was supposed to be in operationalion by January 1 this year, but
it needed a 10-member country ratification quorum to become effective.

Malaysia had ratified the agreement on March 27, 2006, and signed it on May
11, 2006.

Muhyiddin said with the implementation, intra-OIC trade could be increased
among the OIC member countries.

The intra-OIC trade recently scaled up to 16 per cent of the total foreign
trade volume of OIC member countries.
-- BERNAMA