Speaking to over 400 delegates representing over 50 agricultural societies from throughout the Commonwealth, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland will take the opportunity to highlight the unrivalled network through which to expand trade and share best practice among the 53 member states.
At the two-day conference, attended by RASC President, HRH Princess Anne, The Commonwealth Secretary-General will refer to the challenges of climate change and food security, and the part played by the Commonwealth in paving the way towards the Paris Agreement. More than half of the 62 countries to have signed on to the agreement are members of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Future food, trends in availability and consumer behaviour in the coming decades are key themes for the conference with Dr Shenggen Fan from the International Food Policy Research Institute leading the discussion, supported by Poh Hong TAN, from Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore who will speak about Singapore’s Food Security.
In her keynote address The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland will highlight recent Commonwealth Secretariat research and analysis that shows that when both bilateral partners are Commonwealth members they tend to trade 20% more, and generate 10% more foreign direct investment inflows than would otherwise be the case and this potent Commonwealth effect implies bilateral trade costs between Commonwealth partners are on average 19% lower compared with those for other country pairs.
The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland will urge closer engagement between Commonwealth nations that make up more than a third of the world’s population.
Attendees of the prestigious conference will visit Kranji Farms and take part in thought leadership debates spanning the future of agricultural shows, advances in food process and safety, sustainable farming in a city state and farming to feed the world through trade.
The Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC) is a confederation of over fifty leading national and regional Agricultural Show Societies, Agricultural Associations and Research Bodies working in twenty Commonwealth Countries.
For further information visit http://www.rasc2016singapore.com/
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