Indonesia: ASEAN Collaborates with USDA to Hold Agricultural Biotechnology Workshop

From March 4-6, 2024, 26 representatives from all ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Timor-Leste participated in a USDA-funded agricultural biotechnology workshop - along with dozens of private sector stakeholders at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. Representatives from each member state presented on regulations and research updates in their countries, and engaged in substantive conversations on balancing the need to assure the food safety of genetically engineered products with the need to innovate and meet increasing food security challenges. Day 2 of the workshop consisted of a field trip to an Indonesian potato farm growing GE blight resistant potatoes and the University of Padjadjaran which is developing GE catfish.