30th ACEDAC 25th ASWGAC 27 Aug 2024
The 30th Meeting of The ASEAN Centre for the Development of Agricultural Cooperatives Board (ACEDAC), and the 25th Meeting of ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Agricultural Cooperatives (ASWGAC)
On August 27th, 2024, Ms. Kornnapa Chaiwat, an advisory on cooperative development, led the Thai delegation to attend the 30th Meeting of the ASEAN Centre for the Development of Agricultural Cooperatives Board (ACEDAC) and the 25th Meeting of the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Agricultural Cooperatives (ASWGAC). The meetings were hosted online by Brunei Darussalam from August 26 - 27, 2024. Representatives from nine ASEAN member countries; Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam participated, along with officials from the ASEAN Secretariat, the ACEDAC Secretariat, and various agricultural cooperative development organizations and farmer groups.
Attending on behalf of Thailand were Ms. Jedsadaporn Satapattayanon, Director of the Foreign Relations Group, Planning Division; Ms. Suparat Hiranyasopon, Director of the Computer Network and Communications Development Group, Information and Communication Technology Center; and other relevant officials. They joined the meeting from the ICT Center Conference Room, Cooperative Promotion Department, Thewet, Bangkok.
During the ACEDAC meeting, the Thai representatives presented on the agenda item “Promoting the Development of Food Marketing Chains in Member States through Demonstration Models and Knowledge Sharing.” The presentation focused on Thailand’s policies to strengthen food marketing chains through empowering producers, enhancing market capacity, and fostering sustainable community development. Key strategies included:
- Encouraging farmers to produce quality agricultural products certified with GMP standards and aligned with market demand,
- Building cooperative capacity by adding value to products and improving production, processing, and marketing businesses,
- Facilitating coordination, knowledge exchange, and cooperative networking,
- Promoting supplemental occupations to help farmers cope with climate change, and
- Collaborating with the private sector and relevant agencies to expand market access.
As for the agenda item “Enhancing the Role of Women in Agricultural Cooperatives in ASEAN,” Thailand shared the contributions of women in cooperative management and activities. Women serve as board members, management staff, and cooperative members, with nearly equal representation to men, reflecting equality and inclusiveness. Their roles are vital in career development and improving livelihoods within communities.
Moreover, as the lead agency for the SA Project on Data and Information Exchange, the Cooperative Promotion Department reported on the progress of updating the ACEDAC website (https://www.acedac.info). Thailand had already updated its national data, such as the number of cooperatives and members, and shared examples of Best Practices, notably the BCG Model (Bioeconomy, Circular Economy, and Green Economy). Member states can update their data independently, and Thailand provided a demonstration video and proposed online training for interested ASEAN countries.
Thailand also proposed a Strategy to Strengthen ACEDAC, suggesting each country share a model cooperative and engage in joint research to compare model cooperatives and national cooperative promotion policies. The goal is to collaboratively create a Roadmap to strengthen ACEDAC, with support requested from ASEAN-Japan.
In the ASWGAC meeting, Thailand planned to present its policies and strategies for promoting and developing agricultural cooperatives, including current challenges and issues, to fellow ASEAN members.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |