Singapore successfully hosted the 38th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF), and the 16th Meeting of the AMAF Plus Three (AMAF+3) in October 2016. In his opening address for the meetings, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Mr Khaw Boon Wan stressed the importance of agriculture in ASEAN and the need for the region to strengthen cooperation.
Under the chairmanship of Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance Mr Lawrence Wong, the AMAF platform continued to provide leadership and established strong regional cooperation in agriculture, food security, fisheries, and forestry matters.
Some of the key outcomes of the AMAF meeting were the adoption of Key Performance Indicators for the Strategic Plan for ASEAN Cooperation in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (2016 – 2025), and the Strategic Plans of Action for various sectoral working groups. Progress was also made in the harmonisation of standards for food, agriculture, and forestry products across the member states.
The ASEAN ministers also discussed the impact of antimicrobial resistance in agriculture, as this resistance can threaten global public health and significantly impact agriculture, food security, and food safety, as well as the food trade. ASEAN ministers have agreed to strengthen regional cooperation to use antimicrobials prudently; to enhance surveillance and research; and to promote good animal husbandry practices to mitigate adverse impacts in this area.
The fisheries sector also made headway in sustainable fisheries management, collaborative research, information and data exchange, and collaboration between the public and private sectors. Progress was also made in promoting sustainable forestry practices.
Following this, ASEAN ministers met their counterparts from China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea at the AMAF+3 meeting. This meeting, also chaired by Minister Wong, helped to further enhance cooperation among the countries in areas such as food security and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Progress was noted in the implementation of an emergency rice reserve and the development of a food security information system.
The next AMAF meetings will convene in Thailand this year.
You can read more about the meetings and Minister Khaw's opening speech here.