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IN the
face of the emerging scarcity of food, the United States
has embarked on an aid program focused on helping
Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines,
improve and energize their researches in increasing crop
yields and the “shelf life” of harvested grains and
other food crops.
Ambassador Kristie Kenney said that while her government
is also addressing its own battle to mitigate the
effects of rising food prices in her own country,
Washington is well aware of the dire situation in the
developing world.
“The US
government is addressing the rising food prices through
a two-fold approach: First we ensure that stocks are
available through special agriculture-technology
applications, and second, through robust food aid to our
allies by making their food stocks stable,” said Kenney
over the weekend during a book launch at the Department
of Foreign Affairs.
Kenney
was the guest speaker at the launch of the coffee-table
book titled Joined by History, which chronicles
historical events that shaped the relations between the
Philippines and the United States.
Although
she did not mention a definite amount in the research
aid, Kenney said it would be more than a dole, an amount
that would be significant in order to meet the rising
food crisis in the optimum way, which is through global,
regional and bilateral cooperation in scientific
research.
She
added Washington is closely coordinating long-term
research assistance with the International Rice Research
Institute, which is in Los Baños, Laguna.
The US
government is also coordinating with the Department of
Agriculture in research on pest management, as well as
providing information on how the Philippines could
ensure rice production that is typhoon resistant.
When
President Arroyo goes to the US for a state visit next
month, Kenney said it would be a great opportunity to
further strengthen the alliance of the two countries
that she said share “superb relations” over the last
decades. |
