The agriculture industry sees genetics as the world's best chance of coping with the demands of rising global population, especially on the sustainability of adequate food supply.

This was stressed by the Foundation for Resource Linkage and Development (FRLD) in pointing to genetic technology as a major driver in agricultural development.

A non-government organization (NGO) serving the agribusiness industry, FRLD had understood the importance of genetics in the whole food chain, citing that plant breeding had long been important to increase in crop yield, long term investments in branded crop varieties and breeds of livestock and poultry, and the development of new and better cultivars that could resist diseases and adapt to hostile climate.

"In fact there has been a continuing development of new breeds of shrimp, branded swine, chicken, dairy buffalo and goats, sex-reversed tilapia, and other plant and animal breeds," FRLD president Antonio V. Roces said.

"In local agribusiness, genetics is seen as a means of enhancing competitiveness in terms of product quality, prices and sustainability of supply," Roces explained.

He cited these factors as reason for FRLD's move to highlight the importance of genetics in agricultural development and make the technology and its products available to all.

For the first time, the FRLD is bringing together all these products, technologies and services in one big international event that will comprise Agrilink, Foodlink and Aqualink, the Philippines' biggest and most prestigious annual international events on agribusiness, food and aquaculture.

Agrilink is now on its 13th year, Foodlink on its seventh, and Aqualink on it's second, all constituting the country's premier agribusiness trade exhibition, which will be staged at the World Trade Center on October 5 to 7.

This year's trade show will feature agricultural chemicals, animal breeds and breeding facilities and supplies, animal and nutrition products, aquaculture equipment, beverages, cooling and storage systems, dairy products, agribusiness machinery, feed ingredients and probiotics, feed mills, fertilizer and pest management tools, fishery products, food ingredients and additives, packaging materials and equipment, food processing, fruits and vegetables, greenhouse and nursery, horticulture inputs, irrigation technologies, meat products, organic farming and hydroponics, postharvest facilities, processed food, seeds and planting materials, transport and logistics, waste management, and such other allied industries as communication and information technology, financial institutions, publications, and consultancy and research services.

Inquiries and/or reservations can be made with FLRD (tel. 8384549, 8384852; fax 8384573, or email frld at pldtdsl.net).

"These diverse yet interdependent exhibitions, the first of its kind in the Philippines, have been a venue for showcasing the latest and most innovative technologies of their respective industries. Together, Agrilink, Foodlink and Aqualink bring the best of international trade exhibits as the organizers focus on genetics, which impacts across all sectors of the agribusiness industry," Roces said.

The events are supported by the Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural and Fishery Council, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and 20 major trade associations in the country.