Vietnam PM highlights agricultural cooperation at ACMECS Summit

Yangon, June 24 (VNA) - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has proposed Ayeyawadi-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) member countries focus on agriculture as an affiliation priority. Addressing the 6 th ACMECS Summit in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar on June 23, the PM noted that the high-potential agriculture sector employs a large number of labours in ACMECS countries. The group should support member countries to enhance labour productivity through attracting investment, expanding production scale and applying modern technology, he said. It is also necessary to boost the processing sector to increase the proportion of technology and added value for agricultural products while forming agricultural value chains in sub-regions to integrate into the regional and global value chains, said the Government leader. Highlighting Thailand’s experience in developing its processing sector and applying international standards to agricultural products, he said he hopes Thailand and other ACMECS member countries will share experience and increase collaboration in building regional trademarks for farm produce, realising capacity upgrade programmes with partners and luring foreign investment. Particularly, rice cooperation among ACMECS members should focus on production and transferring pre-harvest and post-harvest technologies, he stressed. The Vietnamese PM also suggested ACMECS countries create favourable conditions for border transport and trade, especially along sub-regional economic corridors. It is crucial to implement signed bilateral and multilateral agreements in the field, coordinate in designing new policies to promote trade and investment and form a new transport system to connect the five member countries. He suggested the five countries should promptly apply the “one-stop-shop” model in border gates along the East-West and the South Economic Corridors. Another priority is promoting sustainable development cooperation in the Ayeyawadi-Chao Phraya-Mekong river basins together with managing and using natural resources, coping with climate change and disasters and assessing cross-border environmental impacts, said the PM. He proposed that along with internal resources, ACMECS countries should work together to call for support from partners in conducting joint projects. PM Nguyen Tan Dung also underscored the need to encourage and back business circles to join ACMECS cooperation projects while strengthening dialogues between the ACMECS business council and governments to ensure smooth information flow and high efficiency of ACMECS cooperation. Vietnam is ready to work with other ACMECS countries and partners to effectively implement cooperation programmes for prosperity in each country and for peace, stability and progress of the whole region, he stated. At the summit, leaders of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand affirmed their determination to reinforce traditional friendship among the five countries and bolster ACMECS affiliation. They defined eight prioritised cooperation areas: trade-investment, agriculture, industry-energy, transport, human resources development, tourism, healthcare and environmental protection. During the event, participants passed a Joint Statement and a Plan of Action for 2016-18. They agreed to hold the 7 th ACMECS Summit in Vietnam in conjunction with the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit. The plan of action aims to enhance the competitiveness of ACMECS economies towards making the group a leading investment and tourism destination, especially in border areas, and maximising growth opportunities generated by the ASEAN Economic Community and free trade agreements. Established in 2003, ACMECS groups Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam./.