The 45th ASEAN Ministers' Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) which takes place from Oct 2-6 in Kuala Lumpur is expected to further discuss initiatives and cooperation in agriculture among member countries.
The discussion also involves dialogue partners in the effort to implement the ASEAN Guideline on Sustainable Agriculture which was accepted at the 44th AMAF meeting, last year.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) in a statement today said that the meeting would be officiated by its minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, and attended by ministers and deputy ministers holding the agriculture portfolio from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The last time Malaysia hosted the AMAF was in 2013, involving 10 ASEAN member countries and three strategic dialogue partners, namely China, Japan and South Korea.
"This meeting is a platform for AMS to discuss and highlight issues related to agriculture and forestry in the region. It also serves as an umbrella for sectoral bodies that provide a more specific focus on other elements and disciplines of agriculture," read the statement.
The AMAF is a scheduled meeting under the ASEAN cooperation framework in the agricultural sector since 1968, and is organised and chaired in rotation among the 10 ASEAN member countries.
This year's AMAF meeting is themed ‘Growing Together: Advancing ASEAN Agriculture And Forestry For Sustainable Development’.
"This theme is very relevant to the vision of the ASEAN cooperation in the agriculture and food sector which is to create a food, agriculture and forestry (FAF) sector that is competitive, inclusive, resilient and sustainable, as well as integrated with the global economy,” it said.
At present, the specific areas under ASEAN cooperation in agriculture and food include food security, food safety, halal food, crops, livestock, agricultural training and development, agricultural cooperatives, and joint cooperation in agricultural promotion schemes as well as forest products.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
