Japan and Korea put heads together on food security

Korea, China and Japan agreed yesterday to share information on food security and to enhance their trade of agricultural products.

The agreement was made at a trilateral meeting on the island of Jeju attended by agriculture ministers of the three Northeast Asian countries, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in a statement.

Agriculture Minister Suh Kyu-yong and his Chinese and Japanese counterparts agreed to conduct joint studies of agricultural projects and to exchange experts on agriculture.

They also agreed to establish a system of rice storage in case of emergency and a platform for food security. The ministers plan to further discuss how to set up a joint office to tackle possible outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease and avian influenza. Suh, meanwhile, asked China to help prevent its fishing vessels operating illegally in Korean waters. The Korean minister also asked Japan to lift restrictions on imports of Korean poultry. The ministers will meet again in Japan next year.