Industry leaders from Malaysia, China,Vietnam, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Australia and New Zealand have taken part in the Asian leg of the GlobalGAP TOUR 2009, a series of five events across five continents organised by the certification standards company in the run up to publishing its new version in 2011.
Opening the event, Malaysia's Hon Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry, YB Datuk Hajah Rohani Binti Haji Abd Karim said: 'We are pleased to be associated with this conference because we are very committed to promoting sustainable and socially responsible agricultural practices and regard food safety as non-negotiable.'
Key topics discussed at the event included integrated pest management, microbiological safety, how to include small-scale farmers in certification and national good agricultural practice schemes in the Asia region.
Nigel Garbutt, chairman of GlobalGAP, said: 'It is heartening to see such a unified approach to good agricultural practice in the region and the commitment shown by the private and public sectors to work together to achieve safe and sustainably produced agricultural and aquacultural products.'
Nadene Smith, senior business manager for quality assurance in Australia and New Zealand at retailer Woolworths, confirmed during a presentation about Woolworths Quality Assurance Program that the group would now accept GlobalGAP as an approved supplier programme for the fresh produce category.
Chiyuki Uehara of Japanese food retailer Aeon shared his experience with three successful farmer group certifications for GlobalGAP, where they provided special support tools and encouraged local government cooperation.
The next stop on GlobalGAP's TOUR 2009 is Washington DC on 29 October 2009.
For more information on how to join in the discussions visit: www.tour2009.org
