Russia plans to discuss ways of maintaining access to food products, improving international standards for food products and increasing food production at the meeting.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Russia is expected to table food security and better supply chain issues at the ongoing APEC meeting in Vladivostok, which began on September 2 and is expected to conclude on September 7, the Russian envoy to Indonesia said on Wednesday.

"Apart from the conventional issues that will be discussed during the APEC meeting, Russia, which is hosting the event, will also bring to the table new subjects relating to food security and a better supply chain," the Russian embassy's Charge d' Affaires in Jakarta Sergey Tolehenov said.

He explained that food security was a concern of not only Russia, but other APEC members as well.

Russia plans to discuss ways of maintaining access to food products, improving international standards for food products and increasing food production at the meeting.

Tolehenov pointed out that Russia will also be interested in discussing ways to better mutual transport and logistical systems between the APEC member countries.

"We want to deliver our products at a faster pace to customers in the region. So we will propose establishing better supply chains for different types of transportation, for example, combining air and sea transportation for carrying goods from one country to another," he stated.

APEC is an important economic organization for Indonesia as nine of its 10 biggest trading partners are members of APEC.

Indonesia`s exports to APEC member countries are currently pegged at US $149.89 billion or 73.6 percent of the country's total exports. Meanwhile, the value of trade between Indonesia and the APEC members was recorded at US $290 billion in 2011.

APEC members include the countries of Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru, Russia and Vietnam.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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