His Excellency Mr. Pongpol Adireksarn, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand
Dr. Prem Nath, Assistant Director General and Regional Representative of FAO;
Mr. Chainuvati Chavalvut, Deputy Director General of DOAE;
Dr. William Fiebig, Agricultural Officer, Seed and Plant Genetic Resources Service of FAO;
Distinguished Guests; Delegates; Colleagues;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
As President of APSA, I am very pleased and honored that our Association was approached by FAO to organize this regional technical meeting in close ties with the Department of Agricultural Extension’s Seed Division of the host country, Thailand.
The Asia and Pacific Seed Association or APSA was established in September 1994 here in Thailand through an FAO-DANIDA trust fund project as an association of the public and private seed sectors in the Asia and Pacific region to serve as forum for improved production and trade of quality seeds in the region.
We are a very young association turning 5 years old this September and just starting to ‘walk on our own’ since the FAO-DANIDA Project ended its support last December 1998. However, in just this short period of its existence, with 230 active members of national seed associations, government seed agencies, public and private seed enterprises from 37 countries representing the cream of the seed industry and trade in the region, I am proud to say that APSA has been able to consolidate its role as a forum to exchange information and address technical, regulatory and trade issues affecting the seed sectors in the region.
Therefore, we consider it very significant indeed that FAO signed an agreement with APSA to organize this regional technical meeting on seed policy and programmes for Asia and the Pacific. We sincerely appreciate the recognition accorded to APSA by FAO and express praise and hope for the success of FAO’s effort to formulate a global framework for seed improvement and development through a series of regional technical meetings of which this meeting in Bangkok is one.
This meeting could not have been organized as well without the firm commitment and close collaboration of the host country’s seed agency. Fortunately, APSA’s headquarters is strategically located in Bangkok and generously hosted by the DOAE’s Seed Division. A firm collaboration and close working relationship based on mutual benefit and understanding have been established between APSA and DOAE’s Seed Division. These close ties have been well demonstrated in the planning and organizing of this meeting. Together as one organizing body, we are doing our very best to provide a conducive environment for a successful meeting. We in APSA value this strong collaboration and I wish to take this opportunity through His Excellency Minister Pongpol Adireksarn to express our sincere appreciation to the Royal Government of Thailand in particular the Department of Agricultural Extension of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
As much as, if not more than most of you, we in the Asia and Pacific Seed Association look forward with seriousness to the outcome of this meeting in relation to our constitutional mandates as a seed association in the region.
This meeting is very timely for us since we have recently initiated strategic planning for APSA in the medium- to long-term.
Finally, allow me to invite you to our 6th annual forum, Asian Seed ’99, this September 14-16, here in Bangkok. This could be our biggest congress yet, being in amazing Thailand. You will find information and registration form in your envelope.
With these thoughts, on behalf of APSA, welcome to the meeting. We hope you find the arrangements satisfactory.
Thank you for your kind attention, good day!
