[8 Jan 2020] — Economica Vietnam was commissioned by the ASEAN Foundation to support to the implementation of the 2nd Regional Workshop on Developing the Action Plan of ASEAN Roadmap for Enhance the Role of Agricultural Cooperatives in the Agricultural Global Value Chain.

The ASEAN Roadmap for Enhancing the Role of Agricultural Cooperative in the Global Value Chain (ASEAN Roadmap)2018–2025 was approved by Ad. Referendum on 4 June 2018 by the focal points of the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Agriculture Cooperatives (ASWGAC). The document was further endorsed by the 40th AMAF Meeting in Viet Nam in October 2018. 

The first regional roadmap workshop was organised in early 2019 to translate the ASEAN Roadmap into an action plan to highlight priorities in order to harmonise actions of the national cooperatives with the four pillars of the ASEAN Roadmap. This workshop brought together multi-stakeholders to enhance the role of agricultural cooperatives in the agricultural global value chain as it attended by focal points of ASWGAC, ACEDAC Secretariat, farmers organisations and cooperatives, private sector, and development agencies. Later, the draft action plan was submitted to the 21st ASWGAC Meeting in Nay Pyi Taw. 

 At the 21st ASWGAC Meeting, the Meeting noted the organisation of the first regional roadmap workshop where a fruitful exchange of views resulted in a recommended action plan and priorities that can be utilised to operationalise the ASEAN Roadmap 2019-2025 by the ASWGAC and/or stakeholders for cooperation. Based on the discussion, strengthening the market access and capacity building on agricultural cooperatives were considered as the priority with suggested activity to launch an e-commerce with e-payment system using the existing platform under ACCMSME. Under financial service, it was recommended to establish a weather index for insurance scheme. The Meeting discussed the possibility to conduct another regional roadmap workshop to develop a new project/collaboration in order to implement the roadmap based on the priorities discussed at the first regional roadmap workshop focusing on cooperatives insurance and e-commerce with agreed appointment of lead country for each thematic project. 

The Meeting requested the ACEDAC Secretariat, the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Foundation under the project of ASEAN Farmers’ Organisations Support Programme (AFOSP) to facilitate a second regional roadmap workshop. 

Economica Vietnam supported the ASEAN Foundation in completing the conceptualization of the 2nd Regional Workshop, faciliting the contribution by participants before, during and after the event.  Especially, Economica Vietnam supported with the finalization of the Action Plan of ASEAN Roadmap for Enhance the Role of Agricultural Cooperatives in the Agricultural Global Value Chain. The action plan that was drafted in the first regional roadmap workshop in February 2019 was completed by reaffirming the recommended actions, identify the Lead Country and possible partners as well as timelines , and to outline new projects from the draft action plan for ASWGAC’s consideration in 2020 for mode of cooperation to implement. The workshop and the whole process also helps to strengthen cooperation among regional stakeholder to operationalize Action Plan and Priorities of ASEAN Roadmap 2019-2025.