Committee on Food,
Agriculture and Forestry
The Tenth and Eleventh Meetings of the
Committee on Food, Agriculture and Forestry
(COFAF) were held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 28-31
July 1982 and 14-18 March 1983, respectively.
ASEAN Food Security Reserve (AFSR)
The AFSR project, in operation since July
1981 is one of ASEAN's most important and
successful cooperative ventures. As the first of its
kind in the world it has become both a source of
inspiration as well as a practical model for similar
efforts among other developing countries. This is
especially so in the light of the present stalemate in
negotiations at world level of a new International
Grains Agreement which was to incorporate an
international system of national grain reserves
designed to ensure market stability and food
security. Present climatic disturbances, caused
apprently by unusual and unexplained changes in
Pacific Ocean currents, which are expected to bring
about losses worldwide including ASEAN
countries, have added to the significance of the
AFSR.
The AFSR scheme provides a flexible
framework for the pursuit of regional collective
food security. Central to this is the adoption of
effective national stock holding policies, arrangements
for mutual support in emergencies and the
establishment of a food information and early
warning system. The AFSR comprises "the sum
total of basic stocks, particularly rice, maintained
by each ASEAN member country within its
national borders as a matter of national policies"
Of these nationally held stocks, a portion from
each country is formally committed to the ASEAN
Emergency Rice Reserve for mutual emergency
support. These commitments, unchanged since its
initiation, currently stands as follows:
Indonesia : 12,000 metric tons
Malaysia : 6,000 metric tons
The Philippines : 12,000 metric tons
Singapore : 5,000 metric tons
Thailand : 15,000 metric tons
Total : 50,000 metric tons
Due to the favourable food situation in the
region over the past two years there has not been
any need to call upon the Emergency Reserve. No
effort has however been spared to try and improve
the AFSR scheme. A Food Information and Early
Warning System has been successfully
implemented, and the ASEAN Agricultural Development
Planning Centre (ADPC) was requested to
conduct a study on expanding the scope of the
Emergency Rice Reserve.
The AFSR Board at the Meeting in November
1982, based on the preliminary findings of the
ADPC, agreed that the size of the Emergency Rice
Reserve be maintained at its present level pending
additional studies to be undertaken by the ADPC
taking into account such factors as the influence of
.weather, cost of storage and transportation, the
adoption of common definition of stocks and
minimum nutrition requirements.
With regard to the possible inclusion of basic
commodities other than rice in the ASEAN
Reserve System, the AFSR Board agreed that there
is currently no such need. It was however agreed
that maize, soybeans and sugar should be included
in the AFSR Food Information and Early Warning
System.
At the request of COFAF, the AFSR Board
presented an information paper on the AFSR at
the Experts Group Meeting of the Group of 77 on
a Food Security Reserve Scheme in Manila on
16-19 August 1982. The ASEAN paper was very
well received.
Production of Fertilizers, Pesticides and Other
Agricultural Inputs
Further to the findings of the pre-feasibility
study on an ASEAN Regional Pesticide Plant
conducted under the sponsorship of the U.S. Trade
and Development Programme (TDP), the results of
which were reported to the Sixteenth COIME
Meeting in early 1982, the Tenth COFAF Meeting
concurred with the COIME conclusions that, given
the size of the market, the plant may be suitable
for setting up under the ASEAN Industrial Joint
Venture scheme and that the US TDP be requested
to do a detailed feasibility study.
The Eighteenth and Nineteenth COIME
Meetings in August and November 1982 respectively
were however informed that some member
countries had embarked on long-term programmes
of pesticide production and in view of this the
detailed feasibility study for an ASEAN Pesticide
Plant would no longer be necessary.
On the instructions of the Fourth Meeting of
the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry,
the ADPC is currently undertaking the task of
monitoring and evaluating the progress made by
ASEAN with respect to self sufficiency in
fertilizers in ASEAN.
Irrigation and Water Management
The ASEAN Economic Ministers at their
Fourteenth Meeting in October 1982 accorded
high priority to the urgent task of increasing
Management efficiency and effective output of the
irrigation system of ASEAN Countries. The
proposed establishment of a Centre for Irrigation
System Management for ASEAN (CISMA) is
expected to meet this end.
ASEAN Quarantine Ring
With regard to the Plant Quarantine Ring, the
Tenth COFAF Meeting, on the recommendation of
the Coordinating Group on Crops, agreed on the
.following:
(a) All countries within ASEAN should
follow the Pest Risk Analysis which has been
formulated so as to exclude dangerous and exotic
pests from entry into the ASEAN Plant Quarantine
Ring;
(b) Photo sanitary certificates for plant
produce shall follow the guideline laid down by
the FAO International Plant Protection Convention.
(c) All countries in ASEAN shall practice
inter and intrastate quarantine to prevent
dangerous pests from further spreading within the
region; and
(d) The ASEAN PLANTI should provide the
mechanism and focal point for raising plant
quarantine technology in the ASEAN region.
The work of COFAF in this area was to form
the basis for the ASEAN Ministerial Understanding
on Plant Quarantine Ring signed by the ASEAN
Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry at their
Fourth Meeting.
With regard to animal quarantine, procedures
and protocols for the implementation of the
ASEAN Ministerial Understandings to Eradicate
Foot and Mouth Disease and on Specific Animal
Disease Free Zone were worked out under the aegis
of the Coordinating Group on Livestock and
endorsed by COFAF.
Following the decision in early 1982 to
strengthen national quarantine stations rather than
set up a common Regional Animal Quarantine
Centre, detailed proposals for technical aid to
upgrade and strengthen the various national centres
were prepared.
Various regulations pertaining to the
importation of livestock and intra-ASEAN trade
were also worked out by the Coordinating Group
on Livestock and these formed the background for
the ASEAN Ministerial Understandings on
Standardization of Import and Quarantine
Regulations on Animal and Animal Products at the
Fourth Meeting of Ministers on Agriculture and
Forestry.
With regard to fish quarantine for
aquaculture, a detailed project proposal has been
drawn up for implementation.
Pooling of Research and Technology
On the basis of the preparatory work done by
the various COFAF bodies with competence in the
field of research identification, as well as on the
preparatory work of its senior officials, the Fourth
Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture and
Forestry established the following priority research
areas:
Crops: Rainfed Agriculture; Development of
cheap sources of plant protein; Production of corn
and other feed grains; Production and processing of
selected fruits and vegetables; Integrated farming
system; Varietal improvement and evaluation of
food crops; Processing and Utilisation of crops;
Farm machinery and equipment for small farmers;
Control of rice blast and brown plant hopper;
Utilisation of by-products from plantation crops
and other non-forest species.
Livestock: Utilisation of feed grains and
other agro by-products for animal feeds, Carabao
as source of farm power, milk and meat; Breeding
for improvement of indigenous stock; Control of
hoof and mouth disease.
Forestry: Conservation of existing natural
resources and environments; Reforestation of
denuded areas and unproductive forest lands;
Efficiency in the productive utilization of forest
lands; Fast-growing forest for fuel-wood, pulp and
paper production, Agroforestry; Production and
Utilization of bamboo and rattan- Development of
wood-based industries and their respective
products.
Fisheries: Aquaculture (cage and fishpen
culture); Marineculture; Investigation on shared
fish stock resources.
Natural Resources: Utilization of solar, wind
and water energy; Water management at farm level;
Utilization of problem soils (peat acid soils,) acid
sulphate and salime soils); Germplasm collection,
evaluation and utilization.
Socio Economics: Employment possibility in
the rural areas; Marketing of export crops; Technology
transfer for studies.
Of these priority areas it was agreed that the
following be given first consideration, with lead
countries as follow:
Research Area Lead Country
(i) ASEAN Buffalo Research Philippines
and Development
(ii) Evaluation of Germplasm Philippines
Materials for specific
Genetic Traits
(iii) ASEAN Collaboration Indonesia
Research on Rainfed
Agriculture
(iv) Water Management at Indonesia
the Farm level
(v ) Collaborative Corn Thailand
Programme for ASEAN
Sharing and Training of Extension Resources
The Council of ASEAN Directors of
Extension (CADEX), formed by the ASEAN
Ministers of Agriculture at their First Meeting in
August 1979, held its Fifth Meeting in Chiangmai,
Thailand, on 27-29 September 1982.
The activities of CADEX are geared towards
the improvement of rural and agricultural life,
especially of the small farmers and their families
through the principle of self help through cooperative
endeavours. These cover topics such as
farmers' associations, role of women and youth in
agricultural and rural development, ways of
initiating social change and improvement of the
capability of agricultural extension workers.
From the exchange of ideas and sharing of
experiences, CADEX is now moving to the stage
where ideas are being concretised into project
proposals.
Food Handling
The ASEAN Food Handling Programme,
supported by the Australian Government under the
ASEAN-Australia Economic Cooperation
Programme and under the overall direction of the
Sub-Committee on Food Handling, saw a fruitful if
uneventful year. In the span of its projects covering
the multifarious aspects of processing, packaging,
storage, transportation, harvesting and manpower
development in such diverse fields as horticulture,
grains, livestock and fisheries, good progress was
made. Several projects were brought to a successful
conclusion - e.g. the Long Term Storage of Paddy
in Malaysia - and new projects started - e.g. the
Pilot Project on the Application of Grains Post
Harvest Equipment - while several ongoing
projects were broadened in scope.
A significant development in the year under
review was the extension of assistance from the
EEC in this field in the form of the ASEAN-EEC
Regional Collaborative Programme on Grain Post
Harvest Technology Project involving an EEC
financial contribution of 4.3 million ECU. With
this development the base of the ASEAN Food
Handling Programme's support from third
countries has considerably widened.
Cooperation in Forestry
The year under review saw further efforts by
COFAF, through its Coordinating Group on
Forestry, to translate the Jakarta Consensus on
Forestry, signed by the Ministers of Agriculture
and Forestry in August 1981, into a concrete and
structured plan of action for implementation at
ground level. This plan, as endorsed by the Fourth
Meeting of Agriculture and Forestry Ministers,
covers
(a) Forest Resources Conservation and
Management;
(b) Forest Environment and Wildlife;
(c) Timber Production and Processing; and
(d) Timber Marketing and Trade, including
common stand on international issues in forestry.
All existing COFAF projects in forestry are
subsumed under this framework.
A summary of programmes and associated
projects under each of the above areas is as
follows:
Forest Resources Conservation and Management
Programmes:
(a) Natural Production Forest Programme:
Integrated studies on Stand Improvement in
ASEAN Tropical Forests; Integrated Survey of
Forest Resources of ASEAN Countries.
(b) industrial Plantation Programme:
ASEAN-New Zealand Afforestation Project;
ASEAN-Canada Forest Tree Seed Centre; ASEAN
Forest Tree Improvement Centre; Establishment of
Plantations and Research on Harvesting Techniques
in Mangrove Forest; Integrated Studies on Forest
Plantation.
(c) Watershed Forestry Programme:
ASEAN-US Watershed Project; Standardisation
of Monitoring and Assessment f techniques for
Forestry Development Impacts on the Environment.
(d) Social Forestry Programme:
Forest for Rural Community Development
Centre; ASEAN Research and Training Centre on
Social Forestry.
Forest Environment and Wildlife Programme:
Activities under this area of cooperation are
already being undertaken by COST. Consequently,
no projects and activities were identified by the
Forestry Group in order to avoid any overlapping or
duplication.
Timber Production and Processing Programme:
Regional Study for Commercialisation of
Timber Resources in ASEAN Countries; Extraction
of Small Dimension Logs; Packaging Research and
Development; Sawmilling Research; ASEAN Forest
Industries Management Centre; Research on Lesser-
Known Species.
Timber Marketing and Trade Programme:
End-Use Survey of ASEAN Wood Products;
List of Equivalent Names of ASEAN Timber;
ASEAN Standardisation of Grading Rules and
Specifications.
To articulate the above listed projects and to
provide an adequate institutional base for ASEAN
cooperation in forestry, efforts would be made to
establish the following: ASEAN Institute of Forest
Management; ASEAN Watershed Conservation and
Management Research Centre; ASEAN Forest for
Rural Community Development Centre; ASEAN
Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management
Centre; ASEAN Timber Industry Research Development
and Training Centre; and ASEAN Timber
Board.
For more information, please refer to project details
