Officials pose for a photo at the opening ceremony of the Senior Officials’ Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry in Hanoi on October 8 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – TheSenior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture andForestry (AMAF) opened in Hanoi on October 8 to prepare for the 40th meeting of AMAF, the 18th AMAF 3 and the 6th ASEAN-ChinaMinisterial Meeting on Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. 

In opening the SOM, Vietnam’sMinister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong saidagriculture continues to play a core role in the ASEAN Economic Community.

Intra-bloc cooperation inagriculture is important for ASEAN countries in order to optimize thepreferential mechanisms offered by various trade and investment deals of theASEAN bloc such as the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement, the ASEAN Comprehensive InvestmentAgreement and the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services.

The minister noted that despiteits advantages, the agricultural sector in the region has seen a slowdown ingrowth 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 pooradministrative capacity also pose many problems for the sector.

At the same time, the fourthindustrial revolution has brought many new opportunities, he added.

In order to tackle suchchallenges, ASEAN needs closer cooperation, which requires each member countryas well as ASEAN as a whole to make strong commitment to and adequateinvestment in agriculture, and seek suitable solutions and steps to realise settargets.

He expressed the wish that atthis meeting, ASEAN members will debate and reach agreement on the region’sshared priority issues related to cooperation in agriculture, forestry,fisheries, and food security and safety, contributing to realising the ASEANCommunity Vision and the Strategic Plan of Action on ASEAN Cooperation in Food,Agriculture and Forestry during 2016-2025.

The minister added that ASEANshould also reach a common viewpoint on measures to cope with climate change inorder to accelerate agriculture-related negotiations at multilateral forums,including those in the framework of the UN Framework Convention on ClimateChange; mobilize society’s resources through Public-Private Partnership, and optimizeopportunities brought about by the fourth industrial revolution, thus promotingdevelopment of rural areas.

As host and Chair of the AMAF in2018-2019, Vietnam commits itself to coordinate closely with ASEAN membercountries and ASEAN Secretariat in carrying out cooperative activities toenhance ASEAN’s competitiveness and promote sustainable development ofagriculture in the region, Minister Cuong told the meeting.

♕ He outlined priority contents inASEAN cooperation in agriculture, forestry and fisheries in 2018-2019,including strengthening partnership and mutual support in building anddeveloping sustainable and smart agriculture, adapting to climate change,ensuring food security, and attracting private investment from both inside andoutside ASEAN to develop value chains in the farming sector towards raising thevalue of ASEAN farm produce and enabling ASEAN agricultural products to join theglobal value chain.

Other priorities are to expandthe PPP in agriculture and fisheries, enhance the role of the community and theprivate sector in responding to climate change and ensuring food security,encourage cooperation in scientific and technological research and applicationin agricultural, forestry and fishery production, and intensify collaborationin agricultural-fishery promotion in the region through joint training and thetransfer of management, operation and supervision know-how for value chains andsupply chains.

The 40th AMAF isscheduled to consider and adopt 23 plans and documents in the field ofagriculture and forestry.

Meanwhile, at the 18th AMAF 3, Vietnam as Chair of the SOM-AMAF 3 will report on ASEAN 3 cooperationin food, agriculture and forestry, with three Memoranda of Understanding to besigned.

𝔍 At the 6th ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting on Quality Supervision, Inspection andQuarantine, the coordinators of ASEAN-China SPS cooperation will present a planof action for 2019-2020 for the meeting to consider and approve.-VNA