Pasay city: The Philippines and Brunei Darussalam have entered into a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) designed to bolster cooperation in agriculture and fisheries, aiming to improve regional food security and promote sustainable development, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced.
According to Philippines News Agency, the agreement was formalized between the Philippines' Department of Agriculture and Brunei's Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism during the 47th ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry meeting in Pasay City held in early October. This MOU builds on a Letter of Intent signed in May of the previous year, emphasizing joint efforts in agrifood trade, agro-biotechnology, aquaculture, and precision agriculture.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. expressed that the agreement signifies the shared objectives of the Philippines and Brunei to fortify agri-fisheries systems and enhance food security through collaboration and innovation. The MOU outlines cooperation in livestock and poultry development, disease prevention, high-yield crop technologies, and downstream processing.
The agreement also focuses on capacity-building initiatives, including joint training, technical visits, and the exchange of publications, studies, and technical data. There is significant attention on private sector engagement, with both nations committing to facilitate agrifood investment and trade through information sharing, particularly concerning sanitary and phytosanitary standards and market access requirements.
The partnership creates a framework for policy coordination, research cooperation, expertise exchange, market access promotion, and information sharing between the two countries. It is anticipated to drive agrifood investment and trade by disclosing standards on sanitary and phytosanitary measures and market access requirements, thereby encouraging increased private sector involvement.
The agreement also establishes mechanisms to protect intellectual property and research outcomes, as well as to safeguard the confidentiality of shared knowledge and data.
