ASEAN: 50 years of progress and what’s ahead
Full details
| Authors & editors | |
| Publisher | Milling & Grain |
| Year of publication | 2017 September |
| Languages | |
| Medium | Digital |
| Edition | 1 |
| Topics | |
| Tags | |
| Scope & content | By Raghavan (‘Ragha’) Sampathkumar ASEAN, the group of South East Asian countries is celebrating 50th anniversary this year. Since its inception, it has been a loosely held block but kept in shape by the leading countries including Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. Much progress has been done in terms of poverty reduction and reduction in population affected by malnutrition in the last few decades as the region’s food security has been the primary focus of the leaders who founded the group. The group stands as the sixth largest economy in the world with a combined GDP of US$2.4 trillion in 2015. With impressive economic growth prior to the economic crisis in 1997-98, the region has grown to become an important market for high value food products. Though the region is making progress to become AEC (ASEAN Economic Community), it still remains a far cry as there are significant roadblocks to create such an integrated group. Flow of trade, services and labour is not yet smooth as the differences exist in terms of priorities for the countries individually. Some are focused on strengthening their food security (rather sovereignty) through domestic production while some countries have a pragmatic approach towards meeting their food and nutritional requirements...Read more. |
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