ASEAN lawmakers, attending the 25th General Assembly of the
ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO), on Thursday urged
relatively developed member countries to help new members of the
organization to improve their productivity in the agricultural
sector.
In a joint communique, the richer ASEAN member countries were urged
to help the new members to improve farm productivity through
scientific cooperation and human resources development, as well as
to improve access and exchanging knowledge along with modern
techniques of agricultural production.
The new ASEAN members were mainly agrarian with the majority of
their population living in rural areas, and that most of these
people were smallholders "who are currently under-utilizing
agricultural resources."
The document said that promoting technology, reform and investment
in agriculture would enhance intensification and diversification
towards high-value crops and high-yielding production. "As long as
low value-added growth remains, inequality and chronic poverty for
the rural poor will persist," it stressed.
The communique was also signed by heads of AIPO's special observer
delegations from Brunei and Myanmar.
Some lawmakers from outside ASEAN, including China, Japan and South
Korea, also attended the four-day assembly as observers during
Sept. 13-16.
ASEAN includes Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia.
(Xinhua News Agency September 17, 2004)