ASEAN works towards innovative agriculture
Hanoi (VNA) – The
Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and
Forestry (AMAF) opened in Hanoi on October 8 to prepare for the 40th meeting of AMAF, the 18th AMAF 3 and the 6th ASEAN-China
Ministerial Meeting on Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
In opening the SOM, Vietnam’s
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said
agriculture continues to play a core role in the ASEAN Economic Community.
Intra-bloc cooperation in
agriculture is important for ASEAN countries in order to optimize the
preferential mechanisms offered by various trade and investment deals of the
ASEAN bloc such as the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement, the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment
Agreement and the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services.
The minister noted that despite
its advantages, the agricultural sector in the region has seen a slowdown in
growth and faced many great challenges, particularly climate change,
disadvantages in market, and a development gap with other regions in the world.
Rapid urbanization and industrialisation in the region, coupled with poor
administrative capacity also pose many problems for the sector.
At the same time, the fourth
industrial revolution has brought many new opportunities, he added.
In order to tackle such
challenges, ASEAN needs closer cooperation, which requires each member country
as well as ASEAN as a whole to make strong commitment to and adequate
investment in agriculture, and seek suitable solutions and steps to realise set
targets.
He expressed the wish that at
this meeting, ASEAN members will debate and reach agreement on the region’s
shared priority issues related to cooperation in agriculture, forestry,
fisheries, and food security and safety, contributing to realising the ASEAN
Community Vision and the Strategic Plan of Action on ASEAN Cooperation in Food,
Agriculture and Forestry during 2016-2025.
The minister added that ASEAN
should also reach a common viewpoint on measures to cope with climate change in
order to accelerate agriculture-related negotiations at multilateral forums,
including those in the framework of the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change; mobilize society’s resources through Public-Private Partnership, and optimize
opportunities brought about by the fourth industrial revolution, thus promoting
development of rural areas.
As host and Chair of the AMAF in
2018-2019, Vietnam commits itself to coordinate closely with ASEAN member
countries and ASEAN Secretariat in carrying out cooperative activities to
enhance ASEAN’s competitiveness and promote sustainable development of
agriculture in the region, Minister Cuong told the meeting.
He outlined priority contents in
ASEAN cooperation in agriculture, forestry and fisheries in 2018-2019,
including strengthening partnership and mutual support in building and
developing sustainable and smart agriculture, adapting to climate change,
ensuring food security, and attracting private investment from both inside and
outside ASEAN to develop value chains in the farming sector towards raising the
value of ASEAN farm produce and enabling ASEAN agricultural products to join the
global value chain.
Other priorities are to expand
the PPP in agriculture and fisheries, enhance the role of the community and the
private sector in responding to climate change and ensuring food security,
encourage cooperation in scientific and technological research and application
in agricultural, forestry and fishery production, and intensify collaboration
in agricultural-fishery promotion in the region through joint training and the
transfer of management, operation and supervision know-how for value chains and
supply chains.
The 40th AMAF is
scheduled to consider and adopt 23 plans and documents in the field of
agriculture and forestry.
Meanwhile, at the 18th AMAF 3, Vietnam as Chair of the SOM-AMAF 3 will report on ASEAN 3 cooperation
in food, agriculture and forestry, with three Memoranda of Understanding to be
signed.
At the 6th ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting on Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine, the coordinators of ASEAN-China SPS cooperation will present a plan
of action for 2019-2020 for the meeting to consider and approve.-VNA