Development of Agribusiness Enterprises - Asian Productivity ...

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
INTRODUCTION
The Seminar on Development of Agribusiness Enterprises, organized by the Asian
Productivity Organization (APO) and hosted by the Government of the Republic of
Indonesia, was held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia from 20 to 24 November 2000. The program
was implemented by the Directorate General of Primary Industry and Marketing, Ministry
of Agriculture in cooperation with the Directorate of Manpower Productivity Development,
Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration. Thirteen participants from 11 member countries
and five resource speakers from Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines attended the seminar.
The objectives of the seminar were to: (a) assess the current status of agribusiness in
member countries; and (b) discuss measures for further promoting the establishment of
agribusiness, particularly in rural areas. The seminar consisted of the presentation and
discussion of resource papers and country papers, the conducting of a workshop and visits
to two agribusiness firms. The resource papers focused on the following topics:
(a) Agribusiness Development in Asia and the Pacific – With Emphasis on Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand; (b) Policies and Programs for Promoting the
Development of Agribusiness Enterprises; (c) Requisites for Initiating Agribusiness
Ventures; (d) Marketing Promotion for Agribusiness; and (e) Improving
Productivity/Management of SMEs in the Agribusiness Sector – a Practical Approach from
the Perspective of a Large Enterprise. The country papers, on the other hand, discussed the
present situation as well as prospects for agribusiness development in the respective
participating countries. The highlights of the seminar are presented below.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RESOURCE PAPERS
Agribusiness Development in Asia and the Pacific – With Emphasis on Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand (Dr. Hiroyuki Nishimura)
Agriculture in Southeast Asia is shaped not only by natural elements such as
geographical location and climatic conditions but also by socio-economic and institutional
factors. Aside from the local agricultural production and management in each country, the
interrelationship of capital and the increasingly competitive international trade are important
concerns and issues for agribusiness in the region. It is also important to understand the
situation concerning advanced production technology and means of market information or
transportation, the creation of value-added products change in supply and demand, especially
drastic change in developing countries caused by differing socio-economic development, and
the effects of globalization.
From the end of the Second World War up to the present, the peoples of Asia have
been able to fulfill their basic needs and have since demanded more industrial goods and
services. The technology, facilities and management needed to produce these goods were
acquired and integrated to gradually achieve a self-propagating high level of industrialization.
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