Thailand
Philippines, Cambodia working on agri cooperation deal
PHILIPPINE and Cambodian officials have taken the first step to strengthen each other’s farming sector that is expected to lead to an agreement formalizing a collaboration, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday.
In a release, DA said the department, led by Agriculture Undersecretary for Operations and Agri-fishery Mechanization Ariel T. Cayanan, and its Cambodian counterpart, headed by Undersecretary of State San Vanty, held on June 5 their first Joint Technical Working Group in Agriculture and Agribusiness Cooperation meeting in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province.
“The joint bilateral meeting highlighted the progress of cooperation activities of both sides, and has set the pace and priorities of future collaboration,” it added.
For the Philippines, these include promoting technical cooperation and information exchange in food and agriculture; training Cambodian farmers on systems ensuring the quality of seafood items, analyzing pesticide residue in agricultural products, and managing their quality and safety; and possibly exporting meat items.
For Cambodia, these include the possible approval of Manila’s proposal on exchanging black pepper germplasm and renewing the memorandum of agreement on rice trade.
Both countries agreed to come up with results ahead of their second meeting in the Philippines in the third quarter of 2019.
If the expected deal is produced, it would be similar to the agreement signed in 2015 by the Agriculture department that is geared toward attaining food security and inclusive socioeconomic progress.
Both countries also have agreements on economic and trade relations, and tourism cooperation.
Source: http://www.manilatimes.net/ph-cambodia-working-on-agri-cooperation-deal/409739/