Mr. Yerlan Baidaulet holds a meeting with Director-General of COMCEC

On December 1, Director-General of IOFS H.E. Mr. Yerlan Baidaulet held a meeting with Director-General of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) H.E. Mr. Fatih UNLU.

Mr. Yerlan Baidaulet extended his congratulations on the successful virtual holding of the COMCEC 36th Ministerial Session on 25-26 November 2020. He also expressed since appreciation for nominating the IOFS project proposal for COMCEC Project Funding, and the research report on “Food security governance in the OIC”.

The parties also discussed the promotion of various national and regional programmes, aimed at addressing the food security crisis caused by the global pandemic. Accordingly, trade and investment in the food and agriculture sector feature prominently in both the immediate and medium terms and would require closer collaboration with COMCEC. IOFS proposed the following programs and initiatives for active cooperation with COMCEC.

- International Islamic Food Processing Association (IFPA) as a B2B mechanism for addressing post-harvest losses through increased collaboration within the downstream food supply sub-sector;

- OIC Action Plan for Development of Strategic Commodities (Wheat, Rice, Cassava,) through Centers of Excellence;

- IOFS plans to strengthen National Gene Banks to increase biodiversity and productivity of seed varieties and plants and build climate-resilient agricultural practices. IOFS requested technical assistance from COMCEC for further development of the abovementioned project;

- Introduction of the IOFS new programs/initiatives (with special a focus on Food Security Governance program). The Food Security Governance program aims to analyze food security governance in the OIC Member States, by paying special attention to the policy, structure, decision-making processes of the existing institutions, and sharing their knowledge and experience.

The sides agreed to cooperate with Turkish companies, including Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and others.