Du Pont Calls for Collaboration to Secure Food Security in Asean

SINGAPORE, July 27 (Bernama) -- To address the urgent need to feed a growing population which will reach nine billion in the world including 650 million alone in Asean by 2050, DuPont called on Friday for a common security metric for increasing global food security. Carl Lukach, President DuPont East Asia who made the call at the Third DuPont Asean Media Forum held here Friday, said DuPont had commissioned the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to develop the Global Food Security Index to help the world understand better how best to meet the population growth challenge. "It is a comprehensive measurement tool that addresses the need for specific metrics to illustrate what food security looks like at the local level, country by country and globally. What gets measured gets done," he said. DuPont has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The Forum was attended by representatives from the Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, EIU, and over 20 reporters from six Asean countries including Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines. Lukach said its food security index, which addresses the underlying factors of food security and highlights areas for improvement and reforms, is intended for governments, academics, NGOs, researchers, and farmer organisations in the region to share a common language and chart a comprehensive food security programme. "Together, we can accomplish what no one can do alone. Through collaboration and working on the following principles, we can provide solutions to make the world a better place," Lukach said. DuPont, which is committing US$10 billion to R&D globally and introduction of 4,000 new products, will focus on producing more food, enhancing nutritional value, improving sustainability and safety in food and agriculture, boosting availability of food and its shelf life and reducing waste, he added. --BERNAMA