Participants of SATNET interregional visit take part in Workshop on Good Practices in Trade Facilitation

On day 4 (26 September 2014) of the Interregional Visit for Smallholder Value Chain Actors on Agricultural Trade Facilitation and Market Linkages in Thailand, the participants took part in the ‘SATNET Asia Workshop on Good Practices in Agricultural Trade Facilitation in South and Southeast Asia’ organized by the Trade and Investment Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in collaboration with multiple partners, in Bangkok. The objective of the workshop was to enable inter- and intra-regional learning among participating countries on policies, measures, initiatives, projects or cases that facilitate trade of agriculture or food products.

Close to 40 delegates from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Nepal representing government, private sector and civil society stakeholders participated in the workshop. The various sessions focussed on cases and processes relating to agricultural trade facilitation, good practices in logistics and trade facilitation, and the emergence of standards and traceability. A number of senior policymakers and experts served as resource persons and shared their knowledge and experience with the participants. 

During the wrap up session of the workshop, participants provided their feedback on both the Interregional Visit and the Workshop. They conveyed that the site visits to Kasetsart University, Thayang farmers cooperative, Talaad Thai wholesale market, and Sampran Riverside resort had enhanced their capacities and provided them useful knowledge and practical insights which they will implement and disseminate in their home countries. The need for continuing a network like SATNET beyond the immediate duration of the project was also expressed. In the workshop, the sharing of cases from various countries and the discussion on Traceability were found to be particularly relevant. 

National Stakeholder Consultations on Business (Trade) Process Analysis (BPA) for Agricultural Trade Facilitation in South and Southeast Asia

The Trade Facilitation work package aims at identifying trade facilitation measures that may particularly contribute to poverty reduction, promote intra-regional learning and building capacity of developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region to implement them. 

 

In order to identify the bottlenecks of trade processes and recommend a set of Trade Facilitation measures of agro or food products, the Trade and Investment Division (TID) of ESCAP has commissioned Business Process Analysis (BPA) Studies in five countries on Export and Import of agricultural or food products in South and Southeast Asia. The National Consultations provide an opportunity to share the findings of the Studies, validate them and most importantly, identify few recommendations that will make trade processes more efficient for these and similar products.

Four National Stakeholder Consultation meetings have already taken place in Lao PDR, Bangladesh, Nepal and Cambodia during February and April 2013 in collaboration with Local Associates of the project.

The scope of the BPA studies are as follows :

Bangladesh	Business (Trade) Process Analysis (BPA) for Export of Jute Bags to India and Import of Wheat from India
Cambodia	BPA for Export of Maize and Cassava to China
Lao PDR	BPA for Export of Maize to Thailand and Import of Animal Feed from Thailand
Myanmar	BPA for Export of Mango and Rice to China, Import of Palm Oil from Malaysia
Nepal	BPA for Export of Cardamom to India and Import of Rice from India

The next Consultation will take place in Yangon, Myanmar on 7 May in collaboration with Ministry of Commerce, Myanmar.

For more information please contact Mr. Khan Salehin, TID, ESCAP (salehin@un.org)