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ECO top officials for agriculture meet in Baku

08 September 2008 09:46 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Rashad Suleymanov â€“ APA-Economics. The third meeting of senior officials for agriculture of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is being held in Baku.
Ismat Abasov, Azerbaijanâ€™s Minister of Agriculture, said some countries have experienced challenges with food security against the backdrop of the increasing demand for foodstuffs.
According to him, the demand for foodstuffs on the world market exceeded the supply and the Government of Azerbaijan has intensified efforts to strengthen the national food security.
Khurshid Anwar, Secretary General of the ECO, an intergovernmental international organization involving Asian and European nations, added that the demand for food across the world requires joining collective interests for this problem.
He added that the conference will discuss a number of issues, including current programmes, expansion of cooperation and other matters of mutual concern.
Azerbaijanâ€™s Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev said the development of agriculture is one of the priorities for Azerbaijan.
He suggested expanding cooperation in cotton growing.
â€œThe ECO member states produce 25% of cotton grown across the world. By introducing modern technology, we can further increase production and textile industry. There are some countries that donâ€™t produce even 1 000 tons of cotton but have good weaving industry,â€ he added.
A number of issues including the implementation of ECO Regional Programme for Food Security, global food security and the results of the Donorsâ€™ Conference are being discussed at the two-day meeting.
Besides, the implementation of ECO-FAO Technical Cooperation Programme, draft regulations of ECO Veterinary Commission, proposals on the establishment of ECO Authority for Water Demand, plans for the establishment of ECO Agriculture Biotechnology Network (ECO-ABN) are also being discussed at the meeting.
A Baku Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the meeting.
The Economic Cooperation Organization is an intergovernmental international organization involving seven Asian and three European nations. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade, and investment opportunities. The nations involved are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The common objective is to establish a single market for goods and services, much like the European Union.
The status and power of the ECO is growing. However, the organization faces many challenges. Most importantly, the member states are lacking appropriate infrastructure and institutions which the Organization is primarily seeking to develop, to make full use of the available resources in the region and provide sustainable development for the member nations.