Agriculture Ministers of Six Nations Meet to Launch Regional Program
BEIJING, PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - Agriculture ministers of six nations will meet tomorrow for the first time, to discuss a far reaching program to accelerate and strengthen their cooperation in agriculture, which employs a large proportion of the population in their countries. The six countries - Cambodia, People’s Republic of China (Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam - make up the Greater Mekong Subregion or GMS. They have been working together under the GMS Economic Cooperation Program since 1992. The need for greater cooperation among the countries in agriculture has increased as the development effects of the overall GMS Program have become evident. Economic growth in the subregion is being assisted by the creation of transport corridors among the six countries. These have resulted in “economic corridors,” as the countries have opened their borders to trade, with economic benefits flowing along the length of the corridors and into adjacent areas. At the same time, the agriculture landscape has been changing globally as a result of the confluence of several factors. Agriculture is moving away from a single objective of providing food to the dual role of being a source of both food and energy. And this is occurring at a time when the sector is under increasing threat from climate change, animal and crop disease epidemics, and water shortages. Against this backdrop, Urooj Malik, Director, Southeast Asia Department, ADB said that GMS agriculture must aim toward a more prosperous yet socially equitable sector in which the full benefits of the “new agriculture” are shared by the poor. These changes mean new opportunities in the agriculture sector of the subregion but also a range of new issues for the countries to address. An example is the possible effects on national and subregional food security and on the rural poor of a switch from food to bioenergy crops. New animal and crop disease risks are becoming prominent, especially with the recent outbreaks of avian influenza in some countries of the subregion. To deal with these issues, the countries need to boost their capacities not only in science and technology, but also in relation to developing new policies and regulations and food safety standards. Over the past few years, an advisory body to the subregion’s agriculture ministers, the Working Group on Agriculture, has coordinated with a wide variety of stakeholders to create the Core Agriculture Support Program, which is intended to accelerate cooperation in agriculture among the countries of the subregion. These stakeholders include not only government agencies but also donor agencies, international and regional research and development organizations, nongovernment organizations, and civil society. The cooperative program focuses on cross-border issues, aiming to encourage cross-border trade and investment in agriculture in the subregion, while contributing to food security and poverty reduction and ensuring the protection of the environment and sustainable use of natural resources. Included also are use of advanced agricultural science and technology in biosafety and biotechnology areas, policy and investment cooperation in biofuels and rural renewable energy, and establishment of emergency response mechanisms for agriculture-related crises. The agriculture ministers’ meeting is preceded by a meeting today of senior agriculture officials from the six countries to finalize the Strategic Framework for Subregional Cooperation in Agriculture and Core Agriculture Support Program for the ministers to discuss. Development partners in agriculture - donor agencies and regional and international research and development institutions - also meet today to consider funding needs for the program, which is supported by ADB. About ADB | 
News and Events 
Top of page
