THE ASEAN AND WHAT IT HAS DONE

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which turned 50 years old in August this year, is credited for helping bring stability and economic development in the region.

With objectives that include accelerating economic growth and social progress among its members, alongside regional stability, it was founded in 1967 by Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. The group was strengthened by the addition of Brunei (1987), Vietnam (1995), Laos (1997), Myanmar (1997) and Cambodia (1999).

For the past 50 years, the main achievement of ASEAN has been the maintenance of an uninterrupted period of peace and stability as each member country has been able to concentrate on promoting economic growth and modernization.

For about 25 years from 1970 to 1995, ASEAN’s GDP grew at an average annual rate of 7.0 percent. Today, ASEAN has established itself as an economic power with a combined GDP of $2.55 trillion in 2016.

The region has attracted investment by foreign companies especially in automobile manufacturing, attracting 7 percent of global foreign investment in 2015, according to official data.

ASEAN estimates that it will grow jointly at a rate of 5 percent this year and become the world's fifth largest economy in 2020, converting into the fourth largest by 2050.

In 2015, the association declared itself an integrated single market with free movement of goods, capital, services and skilled personnel, although many resolutions for economic integration remain pending.

Many of ASEAN achievements cover initiatives and agreements in the area of food, agriculture, and forestry in the region:

• ASEAN member states signed the Agreement on ASEAN Food Security Reserve (AFSRB) in 1979. Under the agreement, each member state should establish an ASEAN Emergency Rice Reserve (AERR), a sum total of the basic food stock (rice) maintained by each member country within its national border.

• The 30th meeting of AMAF held in Hanoi on Oct. 23, 2008 endorsed the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework and Strategic Plan of Action on ASEAN Food Security (SPA-FS) with the main goal of ensuring long-term food security and to improve the livelihood of farmers in the ASEAN region.

• The 14th ASEAN Summit, held on Feb. 26-March 1, 2009 in Cha-am, Thailand adopted the AIFS Framework and SPA-FS, and issued a statement of which the leaders pledge to embrace food security as permanent and high priority policy and to encourage partnership with concerned institutions and agencies.

• ASEAN established the “ASEAN General Guidelines on the Preparation and Handling of Halal Food” in the view to further expand intra-ASEAN trade in meat and meat-based products. The Guidelines serve as a practical reference for the food industry in the production and

handling of halal food for more effective presence in the regional and international market. •

ASEAN has developed the ASEAN Food Safety Network website (www.aseanfoodsafetynetwork.net) to provide useful information on food safety, such as SPS measures of various countries, issues in the international standards-setting bodies (Codex, OIE, IPPC, etc.), as well as bodies the ASEAN works related of has to various food given safety. ASEAN strong • attention chemical on that the use resulted of agro- in residues on treated agricultural produces. Work has been done to harmonize maximum residual levels (MRLs) of pesticides in agricultural produces that are traded in the region. To date, AMAF has adopted a total of 802 ASEAN harmonized MRLs for 63 pesticides. •

ASEAN has also established a pesticide database and network among ASEAN member states. The ASEAN website for pesticides regulatory authorities “aseanpest” (http://agrolink.moa.my/doa/aseanpest) pest) provides a platform for sharing of information and databases, as well as to allow discussion, identification, prioritization, implementation and resolution of problems related to pesticide management. • have for finalized ASEAN rice-milled, member endemic citrus-fruit, countries pest list mango-fruit, potato-tuber, and dendrobium orchids cut-flowers. Further work on harmonization of phytosanitary measures will be focused on the development of guidelines for harmonizing import procedures for the said commodities. • The ASEAN Good Agricultural Practices (ASEAN-GAP) for fresh fruit and vegetables have been developed and adopted as a standard for the production, harvesting and post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables in the region. ASEAN has also developed the ASEAN Standards for mango, pineapple, durian, papaya, pomelo, rambutan, mandarin, lansium, guava, mangosteen and watermelon to ensure that these commodities are available fresh to the consumers after preparation and packaging. • ASEAN embarked on establishing standards for vaccines used in the livestock industry in the region to ensure that only vaccines which meet international standards for efficacy, and quality are being used to protect animal health in the region. • Establishment of the “ASEAN Animal Health Trust Fund” (AHTF), which is to facilitate and support long-term sustainability of animal disease control in the region. The Agreement for the Establishment of ASEAN Animal Health Trust Fund was signed by the AMAF in November 2006. •

A number of cooperative projects and activities in fisheries have been implemented among others, Development of Aquaculture, ASEAN Network of Fisheries Post Harvest Technology (FPHT), Harmonization of Fishery Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures, ASEAN-SEAFDEC Collaboration on Sustainable Fisheries Management in the Southeast Asia Region, and fisheries-related projects under the ASEAN Australia Development Cooperation Programme (AADCP). •

ASEAN developed the Manual on Good Shrimp Farm Management Practices, Harmonization of Hatchery Production of Penaeus monodon (tiger prawn) in ASEAN, and Manual on Practical Guidelines for the Development of High-health Penaeus monodon Broodstoc. •

ASEAN has also developed Guidelines on Development of Standard Operating Procedures ( SOPs) for Health Certification and Quarantine Measures for the Responsible Movement of Live Food Finfish as a tool to reduce risks of fish diseases due to transboundary movement of live aquatic animals in the region. •

As part of the ASEAN ef- forts to promote regional and international trade of fish products through the implementation of HACCP, the Hazards Guide–A Guide to the Identification and Control of Food Safety Hazards in the Production of Fish and Fisheries Products in the ASEAN Region has been compiled to act as reference and provide detailed guidance to regulators, SMEs and other interested parties on fish and fish products related hazards, hazards control and food safety progammes. •

ASEAN is implementing strategic alliances (SA) projects in the following enterprises: data and information, agricultural production and marketing, coconut-by-product, agro-ecotourism, beef farming, carageenan, and marketing beans and pulses. Among these projects, the SA Project on Beef Farming has made significant progress with the signing of a MOU between Johor State Farmers’ Organization and Krida Satwa Cooperative of Indonesia for trading of goats of Ettawa (Jafnapari). •

The ASEAN Cooperative Business Forum (ACBF) was established in 2006 with the objective to promote business linkages and trading among the potential agricultural cooperatives within ASEAN Member States, and to empower farmers, farmers groups, farmers or- ganizations. •

ASEAN has promoted and intensified the application of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), especially on fruits and vegetables as a comprehensive approach to improve crop quality and reduce crops losses. •

Development of training modules and regional training in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in fruits and vegetables for agricultural extension officers are carried out by the ASEAN member states. Under the title “Think IPM and Take Action,” basic information about the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) was published to assist extension workers buildup and strengthen their common understanding, which is essential in their working to help the farmers. ASEAN had also produced IPM training modules for durian, vegetable (cabbage and potato), rice, shallots, corn, mango, pamelo, and soybean. •

ASEAN established the ASEAN IPM Knowledge Network (http://ASEAN-IPM .searca.org), an initiative to accumulate the vast collection of knowledge capital on IPM that can be reused and shared by national IPM programmes in the ASEAN region. The ASEAN IPM Centre in the Philippines acts as the Database and Network Administrator, while the Knowledge Hubs linked to the ASEAN IPM Centre are located in each ASEAN member states. •

Establishment of the ASEAN Agricultural Research and Development Information System (ASEAN ARDIS), development of the ASEAN Directory of Agricultural Research and Development Centres in ASEAN, and the Guidelines for the Use of the Digital Information System. •

ASEAN adopted the Guidelines on the Risk Assessment of Agriculture-related Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), which serve to provide ASEAN Member States with a common understanding and approach when conducting scientific evaluations for the release of agriculture-related GMOs. •

ASEAN, in collaboration with the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Southeast Asia, has organized a series of training workshops on the use of the ASEAN Guidelines on Risk-Assessment of Agriculture-related GMOs for the regulators and decision makers. •

ASEAN is implementing initiative on ASEAN Genetically Modified Food Testing Network. The Initiative is to assist ASEAN member states to better utilize existing national resources on genetic modification and food safety, as well as gain better access to information on developing GM testing capabilities for food.