Bangkok--23 Feb--GMS Core Agriculture Support Program
The Asian Development Bank (ADB)-administered Core Agriculture Support Program Phase II (CASP2) in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives jointly organized a national consultation with public and private sectors and other relevant stakeholders to develop an agriculture value chain strategy for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) in Bangkok recently.
The Strategy and Action Plan for Promoting Safe and Environment-friendly Agro-based Value Chains in the GMS aims at strengthening and promoting the competitive advantage of the GMS countries through value chain integration that especially involve the smallholder farmers, and small and medium agro-enterprises. The development of this strategy will contribute to the achievement of CASP2 vision for GMS to be recognized as a leading producer of safe food, using environment-friendly agricultural practices and integrated into global markets through regional economic corridors.
The outline of the strategy has already been submitted for notation at the 21st GMS Ministerial Meeting in Chiang Rai in December 2016. Its Joint Ministerial Statement recognized the achievements of CASP2 including the ongoing formulation of the Strategy and Action Plan for ensuring proper land use in agriculture and promoting safe and environment-friendly agro-based value chains in the GMS.
Relevant stakeholders from public and private sectors, academics and non-government organizations were invited to share their opinions and input on the draft of the Strategy and to prepare an Action Plan for its subsequent implementation. The meeting discussed policies, institutional arrangements and measures in production, trade and investments for safe and environment-friendly agro-based food products, regional value chain infrastructure, knowledge sharing and dissemination of innovations, and regional branding and marketing for increased awareness raising and advocacy and outreach.
It is expected that the Regional Strategy and Action Plan will be submitted for endorsement at the forthcoming GMS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting in 2017.
CASP2 is a technical assistance program funded by the ADB in collaboration with the Government of Sweden, the Nordic Development Fund and the Water Partnership Financing Facility.