The Standards in the Southeast Asian Food Trade (SAFT) project supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH will boost food standards in Laos. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the project was signed in Vientiane yesterday by the Deputy Director General of the Agriculture Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Khamtanh Thadavong, and GIZ Country Director to Laos, Mr Ernst Hustaedt.
 
The purpose of the MoU is to promote the implementation of Asean food standards in Laos and provides a framework of cooperation and understanding to facilitate collaboration between the two parties to implement the SAFT project. There will be three areas of collaboration. Market linkageswill be encouraged through an integrated public-private partnership with a private
company on implementing food standards, a workshop on food standards, food safety training for companies, and participation in a regional or international exhibition or trade fair.
 
A second area of collaboration will be the capacity development of public inspectors, while a third will consist of policy support in developing a Good Agricultural Practices roadmap and strategy, as well as publicprivate dialogue as an exchange or learning platform between the public and private sectors.
 
The overall objective of the 2.5 million euro project is to verifiably apply international and Asean-wide standards for Good Agricultural Practices in the Asean region. Key operating countries besides Laos include Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines.
 
The objective and mandate of the project in promoting food standards, particularly Good Agricultural Practicesand organic farming, in the Asean region match national policy in promoting clean agriculture, Mr Khamtanh said.
Cooperation under the SAFT project can help to strengthen the public and private sectors in food safetyand quality improvement of fresh products so that more and more products can access regional and international markets in the near future.
 
Food and good organic food are close to the hearts of Lao people, Mr Hustaedt said, so it is no surprise that the Ministry of Agriculture andForestry has quickly picked up opportunities to develop quality food standards. These would not only be for export purposes, but also as a safeguard for the health and wellbeing of Lao people.
Principal advisor to the project, Mr Till Ahnert, said the project would hold a workshop today on market dialogue for
food suppliers about food trends.
 
The workshop will raise awareness among fruit and vegetable suppliers about food safety and food standards, by providing
clarification, highlightingtheir importance and giving insight into unexploited market opportunities based on current
consumer trends.
 
One or two companies would be selected and funded by GIZ to support the application of national, regional or international
standards of organic and Good Agricultural Practices.
 
Overall, the project applies a two-tier approach by facilitating regional dialogue and cooperation mechanisms and providing technical support for the implementation of food standards at the national level.
 
Source: Vientiane Times, dated 20 May 2016

 

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