PUTRAJAYA, July 2 — Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu will visit Rome in Italy and Budapest in Hungary to strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector from July 2 to July 8.
In a statement today, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security said Mohamad will attend the plenary session of the 43rd Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Conference in Rome, Italy.
The conference is a platform for each head of delegation to make a country statement under the State of Food and Agriculture Review Agenda, which this year is themed 'Water Resources Management for the Four Better: Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and Better Living, to Achieve the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals'.
During the FAO conference, Mohamad will meet with his counterpart, Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests Francesco Lollobrigida, for a bilateral meeting to strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector, including economic, investment and technical cooperation.
“This meeting will be an opportunity to explore new market access for the country's agricultural products to improve the balance of trade in agricultural trade between the two countries," the statement said.
The statement added that Mohamad will meet FAO director-general Qu Dongyu to discuss issues related to agriculture, food security and global nutrition and to strengthen strategic cooperation between Malaysia and FAO in various areas of agriculture.
The minister will continue his visit to Budapest on July 6 with a bilateral meeting with Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of agriculture between the two countries.
The signing of the MoU will strengthen relations and cooperation in the field of agriculture, enhance the technical skills and expertise of officials, facilitate market access for Malaysian agricultural products in Hungary and enable the two countries to formulate appropriate new cooperation programmes.
In addition, Mohamad has also been invited to deliver the keynote address at the conferment of the PhD degree at the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE). — Bernama
