Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has called for stronger regional collaboration to safeguard food security in the Asia Pacific region amid the tensions in the Middle East.

Tiu Laurel made the call during the Ministerial Segment of the 38th Session of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Asia-Pacific Regional Conference (APRC 38) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, from April 23 to 24, according to a news release on Tuesday.

The DA chief emphasized how the global energy shock is being translated into increasing pressure in the region’s agriculture sector.

“We meet at a moment when geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have posed additional risks to global economic and food security through disruptions in oil, gas, and fertilizer exports, which have already triggered price hikes,” he said.

In the Philippines, the rising prices of fuel and fertilizer are putting pressure on local food production, especially for the upcoming wet planting season.

Both are deemed critical in farming and food distribution, making spikes in production and transportation costs translatable to elevated retail prices of agricultural commodities.

Besides the global oil shocks, the DA also warned of other climate risks, such as the looming strong El Niño.

In a separate speech, Tiu Laurel said increasingly unstable weather patterns, climate shocks, and persistent animal diseases have posed a disruption in the production and supply of select agricultural commodities, like livestock.

“Sometimes exports are cut, there is ASF (African swine fever) here, bird flu there, supply chains are disrupted. So, I kind of see this as normal, but a little bit extreme this time,” he said at a post-ministerial workshop on April 24.

He urged international stakeholders to boost coordination, including the World Trade Organization as a “critical venue” for dialogues amid the increasing global market volatility.

For its part, the Philippine government has launched various mitigation measures including fuel subsidies; Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fishers (PAFF); expanded logistics support through provision of trucks; and the rollout of Free Toll program for agricultural vehicles in partnership with major toll companies; as well as the target utilization of quick response fund (QRF) for the procurement and distribution of free biofertilizers for local farmers.

Other long-term support is also advanced, including the investments and expediting of deliveries of cold storage, rice processing system (RPS), and other post-harvest facilities. (PNA)