Discussions on the Asean +3 Cooperation Strategy that were held during the Special Officials Meeting of the 9th Meeting of the Asean Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three (Special SOM-9th AMAF +3) at The Empire Hotel & Country Club have further defined strategic areas for cooperation among stakeholders.

This observation was made by Hjh Suriyah binti Hj Umar, the Permanent Secretary I at the Ministry of Industry & Primary Resources, during the closing of the Special Officials Meeting yesterday.

According to her, areas of cooperation that were discussed are the “new building blocks” towards closer partnerships and deeper integration of Asean +3 countries and peoples.

“We anticipate that future initiatives will complement other activities in the 10-year Asean +3 Cooperation Work Plan (2007-2017) and greater harmonisation of efforts and efficiency in the use of valuable resources in the region,” she said.

The permanent secretary noted that discussions on the Asean +3 Strategy on Food Security and Bio-energy had provided a framework to guide relevant stakeholders to take into account an integrated and sustainable approach when preparing and implementing programmes or activities on the development of bio-fuel.

This framework would ensure that food production programmes in the region or the livelihood of rural communities would not be threatened by the production of bio-fuels, she added.

Hjh Suriyah reaffirmed that “our work on the Asean +3 Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) will most certainly bring a sense of security and relief from our population, as we are working towards a more permanent scheme that will give us the ability to meet requirements for rice in times of emergency”.

Noting that officials had considered the progress of on-going initiatives that have benefited Asean member states, as they intensify their endeavours to further develop their respective agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries, the permanent secretary is confident that the new initiatives would “add momentum to those endeavours”.

The Special Officials Meeting was attended by 122 delegates from Asean countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as the Plus Three countries namely Japan, China and Korea. A representative from the Asean Secretariat was also present.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Industry & Primary Resources, yesterday’s meeting involved discussions of a number of strategic areas that were identified under the Asean +3 cooperation in agriculture and forestry such as “strengthening food security”, “biomass energy development”, “sustainability and productivity in agriculture”, “sustainable forest management”, “animal health and disease control”, “mitigation and adaptation of impacts of climate change”, “information and knowledge networking and exchange”, as well as “sanitary and phytosanitary measures”.

The meeting also discussed the implementation status of various cooperative activities reported by Japan, Korea and China, including the alleviation of poverty and strengthening food security in the Asian region, education and development, human resource development and cooperation in international and regional issues in the fields of food, agriculture, fisheries and forestry, as well as networking and exchange of agricultural information and trade facilitation.

The meeting also considered a new proposal presented by Japan, namely the “Project for Mangrove Management Centre (MMC) as the Centre of the Regional Mangrove Conservation Cooperation”, which will be presented for endorsement in October this year during the 10th Meeting of AMAF +3 in Cambodia.

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