H.E. Mr. Sitaheng RASPHONE openning remarks  to the China-ASEAN Agricultural Cooperation Summit Forum at Nanning, P.R.China 19 October 2009

It is a great honor for me to be here on this stage on the occasion of the Opening Ceremony of China-Asean Agricultural Cooperation Summit Forum being held in this green, peaceful and beautiful City of Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. On behalf of Lao delegations and on my own behalf, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Organizing Committee, the Government of People’s Republic of China especially Governor of Nanning for the warm hospitality extended to all delegations and the excellent arrangements made for this Summit Forum.

confidence and determination to address the challenges with closer cooperation, which is a wise action to seize the opportunity to realize a brighter future cooperation. We recognize this Forum will provide an agricultural innovation system approach for being tool to develop new technique and technology for better investing agribusiness and supporting agricultural growth and poverty reduction. The Agricultural Cooperation Summit Forum will accelerate the C-AFTA construction and sharing opportunities for cooperation and development. It has effectively enhanced bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the field of agricultural commodity trade, investment promotion, trade in services and other fields. The Agricultural Cooperation Summit Forum will beyond doubt reinforce friendly win-win cooperation of all countries in Asia and the world. I myself recognize the Forum and the exhibition have served as political, diplomatic and economic purposes all in one. Regarding the Agricultural Expo itself it would pragmatically promote an effective platform for enterprises to explore the China, Asean and world markets. The Agricultural EXPO focuses on the C-AFTA construction, and is also open to the whole world, where enterprises in all countries may expand their import-export from and to China, Asean and global, make one-stop purchase of quality products made in both China and Asean, and find ideal investment partners, obtaining opportunities from the China-Asean cooperation in both the priority fields and other fields. Therefore, this concurrent high-end forums including the China-Asean Forum on Agricultural Cooperation will further win- win bilateral and multilateral technical cooperation among scientists as well as investors in various sub-sector of agricultural fields.

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates

If you recall in the previous AMAF plus three meeting, we agreed together to build up the cooperation in agriculture, fisheries and forestry, particularly in cooperation on alleviating poverty, strengthening food security and agribusiness as well as human development activities. We reiterated our support in the implementation of the Asean Charter and especially in our contribution to building a new Asean Economic Community and to implementing the Initiative for Asean Integration. We are thankful to our more advanced Asean Partners and also to the Plus Three where China is also playing a very important role in providing technical assistance in narrowing development gaps between the less and more advanced Asean Plus three countries and helping in accelerating the harmonization and integration of agriculture development within the region in parallel with ensuring sustainable development and use of our natural resources. We recognized the necessity for conserving the natural environment and preserving the social and cultural tradition of rural communities while promoting a sustainable development in agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors. We noted the implementation of the East Asia Emergency Rice Reserve (EAERR) Pilot Project activities, which provided valuable experiences in meeting the humanitarian needs during periods of emergencies and natural disasters. We reaffirmed continuing efforts to control and eradicate Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), pant quarantine and biomass energy.

PR China has provided significant assistance to Asean and to Lao PDR in particular to building its human resources in different disciplines in the agriculture sector. Specifically China has conducted training courses in agricultural and forestry cooperation including: seed improvement, fertilizer and water management, Integrated Pest Management, animal husbandry, aquaculture, farm machinery, agro–industry, post-harvest technology and other sub-sectors. Furthermore PR China is one of the countries who actively support the Strategy Framework for Greater Mekong Sub-region Cooperation in Agriculture and Core Agriculture Supporting Programme. The principle of this Cooperation Strategy Framework is to coop with fundamental and improvement based framework for better cooperation, collaboration, mutually learning, exchange of successfully experimented techniques and technology in agro-forestry development among the GMS and Asean countries. With that ladies and gentlemen, I myself conclude that the cooperation among Asean and China are fruitful and successful we need to continually support these programmes.

·         In conclusion, we need to join forces and institute more viable partnership schemes and mechanism among Asean, GMS, developed, developing nations and international institutions to assist each other in a more coordinated manner, ensuring consistency and continuity in established partnership programs. The great challenge waiting for us in the next future is that how can we be able to produce enough food at affordable prices? How much spare capacity in terms of land and water do we have to feed the world in future? What are the new technologies that can help us use scarce resources more efficiently, increase and stabilize crop and livestock yields? Ladies and Gentlemen, with your strong joint efforts we are hopeful that this important Forum would bring some solutions and can develop several priority need and support to Agricultural Development in this region and give the benefits to our people in this region. Lao PDR will continuously strong support through bilateral, regional as well as multilateral cooperation.

Ladies and gentlemen, before ending my remark please allow me to present our condolences to the victims of the natural disasters occurred in the Philippines, Socialist of Vietnam, Kingdom of Cambodia and other countries. Lao PDR has also been severely hit by Ketsana Typhoon and our government is putting all its efforts to address the losses and damages caused to the people of our four Southern provinces. I would like to take this opportunity to thank China, Asean and our development partners for the support provided to us to-date. We are hopeful to continue to work together to help the affected people, who are mostly farmers, to return to normal life.