ASEAN Affairs: Union Minister joins 45th Meeting for Agriculture & Forestry

Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation U Min Naung on Wednesday virtually joined the Forty-Fifth Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry - 45th AMAF.

First, Malaysian Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Food Security gave a speech and opened the meeting which discussed results from the ASEAN Summit and ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meetings and progress in implementation in accordance with the ASEAN Cooperation Policy Framework on Food, Agriculture and Forestry. Sustainable agriculture, recognition of the importance of food security and sustainable forest management and close cooperation to address challenges and seize regional opportunities were also discussed.

And, the meeting pledged to promote cooperation in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors. Also, development of strategic processes for prevention and control of bovine dermatomyositis, ASEAN Regional Guidelines for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacterial Diseases of fish and shrimp, manual on local customs and the system of obtaining free prior informed consent from local people in the forest landscape system,development of action plans on ASEAN guidelines and strategies for sustainable agriculture and guidance on reducing crop waste incineration to assist in the implementation of the strategy for reducing carbon emissions were approved.

In his part, Union Minister U Min Naung expressed his satisfaction with the comprehensive report presented by the Chairman of the meeting of senior officials in Malaysia, acknowledged the efforts of various subject working groups and high-ranking officials for achieving good results in the implementation of activities related to agriculture and forestry and also appreciated technical cooperation by partner countries and organization for the development and long-term sustainability of food, agriculture and forestry sectors in ASEAN. The Union Minister also pledged to continue cooperation with the ASEAN member countries. This meeting came to an end after approving the joint statement.