Agriculture and Forestry: Myanmar joins the ASEAN Plus Three Meeting

Myanmar's delegation led by Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation U Min Naung participated in the 23rd Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three virtually on Friday.

The Co-Chair of the meeting, Malaysian Minister for Agriculture and Food Security delivered opening remarks, followed by speeches from the ministers of China, Japan, and Korea.

The meeting focused on discussions regarding guidance on food sufficiency, the agriculture and forestry sectors, which were outcomes from the 16th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, and the 26th ASEAN Economic Ministers Plus Three Consultation.

Additionally, the meeting addressed ongoing projects under the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Strategy for the Food, Agriculture, and Forestry Sector. Union Minister U Min Naung highlighted that Myanmar has already deposited funds for operations from 2023 to 2027 under the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve Agreement.

Currently, negotiations are in progress through the ASEAN Secretariat for signing an MOU between the Myanmar Rice Federation and the Philippines for the sale of 14,000 tons of rice.

The Union Minister pledged to further enhance cooperation with ASEAN Plus Three countries in the food, agriculture, and forestry sectors. The Joint Declaration of the 23rd Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three was also issued before concluding the meeting.