Jakarta, 25 September 2019, The ASEAN Foundation with support from the ASEAN Centre for the Development of Agricultural Cooperative (ACEDAC) Secretariat and the ASEAN Secretariat organised the second Regional Roadmap Workshop on Developing the Action Plan of the ASEAN Roadmap for Enhancing the Role of Agricultural Cooperatives in the Agricultural Global Value Chain in Jakarta as part of the key activities of ASEAN Farmers’ Organisation Support Program (AFOSP).

The workshop served as a platform to discuss further about the action plan draft that was created in the first regional roadmap workshop taking place back in February 2019. In the workshop the attending representatives reaffirmed the recommended actions for roadmap pillars; institutional and capacity building, competitiveness, access to finance and access to market for agricultural cooperative, and identified the lead country and possible partners as well as the timelines.

Eight representatives from the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group Agricultural Cooperative (ASWGAC), ACEDAC Secretariat, EU Mission to ASEAN, ASIAN Farmers Association, agri- agencies and private sector attended the workshop and involved in thoughtful discussions. This workshop is expected to strengthen cooperation among regional stakeholders to operationalise Action Plan and Priorities of ASEAN Roadmap 2019-2025.

“Working together with ASEAN Member States in collaboration with all the Stakeholders, I do believe that we can explore the effective ways to strengthen Agricultural Cooperatives in implementing the Action Plan. I also would like to request you to enhance the Capacity Building Program for the business improvement of ASEAN cooperatives, to raise Knowledge Sharing and Awareness Program of agricultural cooperatives development between the people in ASEAN countries, to conduct Value Chain Studies, Food Safety, Feasibility Study, Human Resource Development Program and Research and Development by linking with other stakeholders, “ Mrs. Mya Myo Swe, the Representative of ASWGAC Myanmar, said.

About ASEAN Farmers’ Organisation Support Programme (AFOSP)

Implemented since 2015, the ASEAN Farmers’ Organisation Support Programme has worked to improve livelihoods and food security for smallholder farmers across the ASEAN region. Funded through the European Union (EU) and the AFOSP has been implemented across the ASEAN region. The aim is to support ASEAN Framers’ Organisations to become: stable, performing, accountable organisations, capable of providing effective and sustainable services to their members, with the ability to influence policy and corporate processes on agriculture and food security issues at local, national, ASEAN regional and global levels.

For more information, please visit: http://www.aseanfoundation.org/what-we-do/afosp

About ASEAN Foundation

Three decades after ASEAN was established, ASEAN leaders recognised that: there remained inadequate shared prosperity, ASEAN awareness and contact among people of ASEAN. It was of this concern that ASEAN leaders established ASEAN Foundation during ASEAN’s 30th Anniversary Commemorative Summit in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on 15 December 1997. ASEAN Foundation is an organisation from and for the people of ASEAN. The Foundation exists because of one vision: to build a cohesive and prosperous ASEAN Community. As an ASEAN’s body, the Foundation is tasked to support ASEAN mainly in promoting awareness, identity, interaction and development of the people of ASEAN. For more information, please visit: www.aseanfoundation.org