13 July
The First BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture (1st BAMM) was held at Hilton Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
Agricultural ministers from BIMSTEC members states of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, delegation leaders, senior officials and other officials attended the meeting.
Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Dr Aung Thu, spoke at the meeting where he said the combined domestic export of BIMSTEC member states equals US$2.7 trillion and the total population is 1.5 billion large, making up 22 per cent of the global population.
The Union Minister said while all member states do not have equal development trajectories they all face similar challenges. He said we must all work closely together for sustainable development, eradicating poverty, implementing inclusive development and equal economic growth.
The Union Minister said that the decisions made at the 4th BIMSTEC Summit in Nepal support increased collaboration on agricultural matters. He said agricultural focus is one of the 14 areas of BIMSTEC cooperation and this meeting focuses on promoting the lives of everyone involved in agriculture.
Next, BIMSTEC Secretary-General Ambassador M. Shahidul Islam made some opening remarks, after which the attendees took documentary photos together. The meeting then commenced in the hotel’s Tharaphi Hall.
The meeting discussed enhancing current cooperation and future tasks on agriculture between the member states, approved the results of the First BIMSTEC High-Ranking Agricultural Officials Meeting held recently in Nay Pyi Taw, discussed the draft Joint Statement of this meeting, and decided on the location and time for the Second BAMM meeting.
After the meeting, attendees toured the Gem Museum, rice processing complex, seed bank of the Agricultural Research Department and the Post Harvesting Research Department. —MNA (Translated by Zaw Htet Oo)
