The 30th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (30th AMAF)

23 October 2008, Hanoi

JOINT PRESS STATEMENT

1. The 30th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) was held in Hanoi, Viet Nam on 23 October 2008 under the Chairmanship of H.E. Dr. Cao Duc Phat, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam.

Addressing the issue of Food Security

2. With the recent developments of soaring food prices, global financial crisis and an increasing concern on food security in the ASEAN region, the Ministers discussed the socio-economic impacts on food, agriculture and forestry sectors in ASEAN. The Ministers agreed that ASEAN needs to take a strategic and comprehensive approach and apply concrete policy measures in promoting and maintaining regional food security catering to the long-term need and potential emergency situation through increased food production and innovation, while ensuring market efficiency and regional integration process and trading mechanism.

3. The ministers stressed the need to strike the balance between ensuring long-term food security and improving livelihoods of farmers in the region. Due consideration should also be given in addressing the increased prices of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, chemical, etc. Towards this end, the Ministers adopted a comprehensive ASEAN integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework and its medium-term Strategic Plan of Action on ASEAN Food Security (SPA-FS). The Ministers agreed to submit the AIFS and SPA-FA for adoption at the 14th ASEAN Summit in December 2008.

4. With the view to ensure effective implementation of the AIFS Framework and the SPA-FS, the Ministers welcomed the collaboration of regional Dialogue Partners and International Organizations in this cooperative effort. The Ministers also supported the IRRI’s Rice Action Plan and urged close cooperation and partnership among regional and international organizations in addressing food security in the region.

Towards ASEAN Community and Regional Integration

5. The Ministers reaffirmed the pivotal role of food, agriculture, and forestry sectors in ensuring food security and safety as well as in expediting the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) with market competitiveness of the products. Towards the realization of ASEAN Community, the Ministers agreed to further strengthen capacity building, use modern technology, and adopt international standards and practices.

6. The Ministers expressed satisfaction on the progress made in food, agriculture and forestry sectors. The Ministers further endorsed the following ASEAN standards and plan:

a) ASEAN Phytosanitary (PS) Guidelines for the Importation of Rice-Milled;
b) ASEAN harmonised Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for 9 pesticides;
c) ASEAN Harmonised Standards for Guava, Lansium, Mandarin, Mangosteen and Watermelon;
d) ASEAN Standard Requirements for Inactivated E. coli Vaccine for Poultry, Live Swollen Head Syndrome vaccine, Inactivated Porcine parvovirus vaccine, Inactivated Porcine Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae vaccine, and Porcine Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae bacterin;
e) ASEAN Criteria for Accreditation of Meat Processing Establishment; and
f) Work Plan for Strengthening Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) in ASEAN (2008-2015).

Responding to the Impact of Climate Change

7. In view of the concern on the impact of global warming on the environment and human life, the ministers welcomed the new initiative on “ASEAN strategy in Addressing the Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry”. The ministers reiterated the commitments to pursue regional approach and strategic plan of action to identify measures dealing with mitigation and adaptation to climate change on agriculture, fisheries and forestry.

Towards Sustainable Forest Management

8. The Ministers commended the expeditious effort towards the attainment of sustainable forest management and significant progress made, in particular, in the development of Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting for ASEAN Criteria and Indicators for sustainable management of tropical forests, the completion of Work Plan for strengthening FLEG in ASEAN, and implementation of the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) activities in the region.


Stronger Partnership with Dialogue Partners and International Organizations

9. The Ministers noted the progress made in regional cooperative activities over the past years and expressed appreciation for the assistance and support, rendered by various dialogue partners and international organizations, among others: Australia, China, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), World Animal Health Organization (OIE), and the Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Centre (SEAFDEC).


31st AMAF Meeting

10. The ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry will meet in Brunei Darussalam in 2009.

11. The Ministers from other ASEAN Member Countries expressed their sincere appreciation to the Government and People of Viet Nam for hosting the 30th AMAF Meeting and for their warm hospitality.


LIST OF MINISTERS


H.E. Pehin Dato Yahya, Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam

H.E. Mr. Chan Tong Yves, Secretary of State of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Cambodia

H.E. Dr. Anton Apriyantono, Minister of Agriculture, Indonesia

H.E. Mr. Sitaheng Rasphone, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Lao PDR

H.E. Dato’ Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry, Malaysia

H.E. Mayor General Htay Oo, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Myanmar

H.E. Segfredo R. Serrano, Undersecretary, Department of Agriculture, Philippines

H.E. Dr. Mohamad Maliki bin Osman, Parliamentary Secretary for National Development, Singapore

H.E. Mr. Somphat Kaewpijit, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand

H.E. Dr. Cao Duc Phat, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Viet Nam

Mr. S. Pushpanathan, Principal Director, Bureau for Economic Integration and Finance, ASEAN Secretariat, representing H.E. Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of ASEAN.

Resource: ASEAN Secretariat