Pu’er City, People’s Republic of China, (31 May 2018) - Senior agriculture officials from the six member countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) agreed to increase regional cooperation in food safety, boost the trading of climate-friendly agriculture products and accelerate the implementation of the five-year GMS Strategy and Siem Reap Action Plan endorsed by the Second GMS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting.
What do French Champagne, Italian Parmesan cheese, Japanese Kobe beef, and Indian Darjeeling Tea have in common? They are all protected by Geographical Indications (GI), which allow them to distinguish themselves and to be sought after by customers the world over. What is a geographical indication (GI)?
Small farmers and primary producers are the starting point of the food supply chain. In the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), some 60% of the region’s 340 million smallholder farmers are engaged in small-scale agriculture and many are switching from growing rice to producing fruits and vegetables to obtain higher incomes.
The summit is the highest forum in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program where the leaders from the six GMS countries can (i) review and assess the progress made under the program; (ii) renew their commitment to subregional cooperation and its goals; (iii) provide support at the highest political level to the program, its projects, and activities; and (iv) provide broad directions for landmark or key initiatives under the GMS Program. GMS summits are normally held every 3 years.