By Nor Baizura Basri, NNN-Bernama,
Istanbul : A roadmap on food security is expected to be discussed among Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) leaders when they gatehr here for the first economic summit of the OIC Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Co-operation (COMCEC).
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is leading the Malaysian delegation to the COMCEC, said here Monday that during one of the sessions, they had 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 which began Monday.
Muhyiddin said Malaysia was ready to collaborate with other 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 Islamic 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 had 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.
Referring to halal standards, Muhyiddin said the standard being used by Malaysia was among the best and could be considered as a guideline for creating the global halal (permitted, in Islam) 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, adding that this could speed up the process for uniform halal standards among OIC member countries.
“We want efforts aimed at uniform halal standards to be stepped up among the OIC member countries as the market has big potential and is 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.”
Muhyiddin also said that the trade preferential system among OIC nations, which had been on the table for discussion for seven years, had 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 operation by Jan 1 this year, but it needed 10 member countries to ratifiy it to enter into force. Malaysia had ratified the agreement on March 27, 2006, and signed it on May 11, 2006.
Muhyiddin said with the implementation of the preferential trading system, intra-OIC trade could be increased from the present level of 16 per cent of the total foreign trade volume of OIC member countries.