The event, organised by the Vietnam Farmers’ Association and the Vietnam partnership for Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (VietDHRRA), attracted representatives from the ASEAN Fund, AsiaDHRRA and many international agricultural and farmer organisations and delegates from Myanmar, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Laos, Japan and Thailand.

Participants stressed that agriculture is still the main stay of ASEAN countries’ economies as a majority of the poor in these countries are farmers involved in small-scale production.

They said besides needing capital, plant varieties, machinery, materials and know-how to develop production, most farmers still lack information on the market’s needs and marketing skills to sell their products. Therefore, governments of regional countries should seek effective models for farmers to access the market.