Asean gets industry body to help harmonise policies and standards
AFBA chairman for Singapore, Sunny Koh, said the AFBA will work with partners throughout Asean to help reduce the complexities of food trade between countries, and encouraging economic growth.
“The food industry in Asean plays a vital role in the region’s economic development—it employs more than 4m people, through 300,000 companies, 95% of which are small and medium enterprises.
He added that AFBA will work to remove technical barriers to trade, strengthen partnerships between governments and national industry associations and promote awareness on scientific and regulatory issues.
Adhi Lukman, AFBA chairman for Indonesia, said common food standards and cross-border integration were essential to realise the region’s full potential. “As a vehicle dedicated to driving the harmonisation of food standards, AFBA will help support the Asean single market goals and help make the region a globally competitive force,” he said.
