• Institutional Mechanism
Before convening of the meetings at senior officials and ministerial level, the Meeting of the BIMSTEC Expert Group on Agricultural Cooperation (EGMAC) was the only institutional mechanism to conduct the business of the Agriculture Sector. So, far, the Expert Group has held nine (9) meetings since its first meeting held in Myanmar in 2007.
Considering the importance of agriculture in the context of economic growth and food security of the BIMSTEC region, the 5th EGMAC (Thimphu, 28-29 December 2016) recommended holding of BIMSTEC Ministerial Level Meeting on Agriculture and afterwards, the 17th Session of the BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (Kathmandu, 7 February 2017) endorsed the recommendation.
Myanmar hosted the First BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture (1st BAMM), which was preceded by the First BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meeting on Agriculture (1st SOM-A), on 11-12 July 2019 in Nay Pyi Taw. The Meeting adopted the Joint Statement, which called upon BIMSTEC Member States for deepening cooperation in the agricultural and allied sectors to attain food and nutritional security in the region. The Meeting also agreed to convene the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture once in two years.
India hosted the Second BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture (2nd BAMM), which was preceded by the First BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meeting on Agriculture (2nd SOM-A), on 10 November 2022 virtually in New Delhi, India. The Meeting adopted the Joint Statement. The Meeting also adopted Plan of Action on Strengthening BIMSTEC Agricultural Cooperation (2023-2027) and reiterated its decision to convene the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture once in two years.
Flow Chart for reporting and decision-making mechanisms of the BIMSTEC Agricultural Cooperation
• Plan of Action on Strengthening BIMSTEC Agricultural Cooperation (2023-2027)
As instructed by the Leaders at the Fifth BIMSTEC Summit, this Plan of Action on Strengthening BIMSTEC Agricultural Cooperation (2023-2027) has been developed. The Plan of Action has identified 17 actions in 5 areas of cooperation with the objectives to ensure food security, food safety and better nutrition, reduce rural poverty as well as increase resilience to climate change.
During the Second BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture held on 10 November 2022, the ministers adopted the Plan of Action on Strengthening BIMSTEC Agricultural Cooperation (2023-2027).
This Plan of Action superseded the Plan of Action adopted at the First Meeting of the BIMSTEC Expert Group on Agricultural Cooperation (Nay Pyi Taw, 15-16 March 2007).
• Activities
Member States regularly update and propose new activities to deepen the BIMSTEC agricultural cooperation. In 2023, so far, the following activities/projects of Plan of Action on Agricultural Cooperation have been implemented:
1. BIMSTEC Scholarship on Agriculture: To deepen the Agricultural cooperation among the BIMSTEC Member States, a scholarship program on Agriculture was proposed. During the First BAMM and following up on the discussions of the First BIMSTEC SOM-A (Myanmar, 11-12 July 2019), India offered a fully-funded BIMSTEC Scholarship on Agriculture – 06 slots for Masters and 06 slots for the Ph.D. programme. One Master and one Ph.D. for each BIMSTEC Member State. The Government of India has extended the fully funded scholarship for 2023-24 sessions, after successful conclusion of 2022-23 sessions.
2. Good Agriculture Practices in BIMSTEC Region: BIMSTEC is promoting Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in the Bay of Bengal area as an integrated effort to address difficulties and promote sustainable agricultural growth. The Member States developed comprehensive papers that focused on each of their agriculture sectors. The Comprehensive Papers on GAP Experience examine GAP experience in the BIMSTEC area, analyzing agricultural methods, best practices, and areas for improvement through reviewing initiatives, policies, and technology in member nations. The purpose of these Papers is to dive into the GAP experience in the BIMSTEC area, examining different agricultural methods that have been effectively applied to address the region's particular issues.
3. Myanmar hosted Regional Seminar on Food Security and Sustainable Food Systems in BIMSTEC on 25 January 2023 in virtual mode.
4. India hosted Workshop on Development of Seed Sector in BIMSTEC Member States virtually on 06 September 2023 in New Delhi, India.
5. India organized a virtual Workshops on "Recent Advances in Diagnosis and Control of Emerging and Re-Emerging Zoonoses" and "Epidemiological Approaches to prevent and control Transboundary Animal Diseases with focus on Zoonotic Diseases and Foot and Mouth Disease", with speakers and experts from BIMSTEC Member States virtually in September-October 2023.
Agricultural information of the BIMSTEC Member States