A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong attended the 34 th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in Vientiane on September 27.

Participants to the event reviewed working contents within the AMAF framework during the 2011 – 2012 tenure and cooperation within the 11 th AMAF+3. They discussed food security, agricultural production in adaptation to climate change, application of new technologies in cultivation, animal husbandry and aquaculture in line with international standards to increase the competitiveness of ASEAN’s farm produce in the region and the world.

The event also reviewed the implementation of the ASEAN Integrated Food Security Framework and the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security, notably the ASEAN+ 3 Emergency Rice Reserve agreement which took effect this July.

Additionally, a system of managing and certifying ASEAN Good Agricultural Practices, targeting the production of vegetables and fruits with big transaction values.

The participating countries also reached a consensus on forestry cooperation, including the prevention of trans-border haze, timber certification, development of forestry products, ASEAN social forestry network and Asian forest partnership./.