Annual Report 2009 - Asian Productivity Organization

to attend the 2009 FOODEX and visit Japanese
organizations involved in importing agrifood products
and promoting exports.
Program coverage: Framework for improving agriculture
productivity and sustainable export of agrifood
products; The global picture in trade of agriculture
and food products: Opportunities and challenges in
the global market; Marketing, key players, and the
distribution system for food products in Japan; and
Market research for agrifood products for export:
Basic principles and current practices. Participants
visited FOODEX 2009 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba;
Tsukiji Fish Market in Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Ota Market
for Fruit and Flowers, Ota-ku, Tokyo; Japan External
Trade Organization Tokyo Office; Itochu Shoji, a
Japanese food importer in Tokyo; and the Ito Yokado
store in Kasai, Tokyo.
Community-based Ecotourism Development and
Management
The concept of ecotourism is widely misunderstood
and in practice is often used as a marketing tool to
promote nature tourism. This is called “greenwashing”
when tourism activities are pursued without due
regard to their negative impacts on the environment
and communities. Ecotourism is a business that uses
judiciously natural endowments of the area and the
culture of the community. People involved need to
understand how to manage profitable, sustainable
ecotourism businesses without degrading the environment
and the culture of local people.
The APO organized a multicountry observational
study mission on Community-based Ecotourism
Development and Management, 25–29 May, in Nepal,
to illustrate different approaches and principles in sustainable
development and management of ecotourism
and identify the best management practices in the host
country. Twenty-one participants from 14 countries
attended.
Program coverage: Development of ecotourism in
Asia and Pacific countries: Trends, opportunities,
and challenges; Approaches to community-based
ecotourism management: Some lessons from Nepal’s
experiences; Role of ecotourism in alleviation of
rural poverty and environmental conservation;
and Best practices in sustainable development and
management of ecotourism. Site visits were made to
ICIMOD Research and Field Demonstration Center
in Kathmandu, Godavari Botanical Garden, and the
Borderland Resort.
Promoting Food Safety Management in the Seafood
Industry through National Programs
International trade in seafood has grown fast. About
half of world fish exports originate in developing
countries. Expanding demand for seafood has brought
with it greater business opportunities and challenges
for the seafood-producing countries. Seafood products
are an important source of foreign exchange earnings
for developing Asian countries and a rich source of
protein for human nutrition. The seafood industry
provides jobs and livelihoods to millions. The challenges
are high perishability of seafood products and
susceptibility to various safety hazards. Protocols in
quality and safety management programs mostly based
on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point
(HACCP). One example is the ISO22000 standard
that incorporates all HACCP requirements in addition
to the requirements of ISO9001.
The APO is actively engaged in the capacity building
of member countries in food safety. In 2009, four
national training workshops were organized as followups
to the 2008 multicountry training course on Food
Safety Management for Seafood Processing and
Marketing: in Vietnam, 26–29 May; the Philippines,
3–5 June; Indonesia, 3–5 August; and Thailand, 25–27
November. The objectives were to enhance understanding
of the HACCP/FSMS ISO22000 requirements
and applications in the seafood industry. The
NPOs of each country implemented the workshops
in collaboration with relevant seafood organizations.
A total of 210 participants (48 from Vietnam; 50
from the Philippines, 49 from Indonesia, and 63 from
Thailand) attended.
Visiting Bac Dau Co. Ltd., a fish-processing enterprise, during the
national dissemination seminar on Food Safety, Vietnam
Program coverage: HACCP and GHP requirements;
Current legal and customer requirements related to
food safety in the seafood industry; Process of carrying
out hazard analysis and establishing critical control
points (CCPs) and critical limits with justification;
ISO22000 requirements and applications; ISO22000
implementation and certification; and Food traceability
requirements and implementation.
APO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 43
AGRICULTURE SECTOR