Philippines, Malaysia forge agri tech partnership
Malaysia and the Philippines have committed to work together to promote greater use of digital tools to promote agriculture.
MANILA, Philippines – The Asean Business Advisory Council Philippines (Asean BAC PH) is set to work together with state-run Malaysia Digital Economy Corp. (MDEC) to advance the digital agricultural technology ecosystem in both countries.
A letter of intent signed by both parties involves undertaking collaborative efforts to drive the widespread adoption of digital solutions, empowering farmers and agri-entrepreneurs in Malaysia and the Philippines.
“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to strengthening food security in the region,” Asean BAC PH chair Joey Concepcion said in a statement on Monday.
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“By improving productivity and accelerating digital transformation in agribusiness, Asean BAC Philippines and MDEC are committed to creating a resilient and smart agricultural sector,” he added.
The entities formalized their cooperation during Concepcion’s visit to Malaysia for the 103rd Asean BAC Meeting and Asean BAC Interface with Leaders.
It will be coursed through the Digital Agriculture Department of MDEC, a government agency under the purview of Malaysia’s Ministry of Digital, established in 1996 to advance the country’s digital economy.
“MDEC’s Digital AgTech collaborates with stakeholders and ecosystem partners to improve national agriculture systems using digital technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and drone technology,” it said.
The strategic partnership entails cross-border ecosystem development to support technology and knowledge exchange and the sharing of best practices.
It also involves creating sustainable and scalable models for the effective deployment of digital AgTech in their respective farm sectors.
Apart from this, Concepcion said he was taking the initial steps to win the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) leaders’ support and secure partnerships among the region’s biggest agriculture companies for the Asean Food Security Alliance initiative.
The program seeks to enhance food security in the region through the joint effort of the private sectors of member countries.
This undertaking is to become Asean BAC PH’s legacy project for its chairmanship next year, he added. INQ
