Annual Report 2009 - Asian Productivity Organization

Project on GMP for food hygiene improvement:
A national seminar and training course on GMP were
held 12–16 October in Vientiane. These were organized
by the APO and implemented by SMEPDO.
The seminar was held to enhance awareness of food
hygiene and to understand the significance of GMP
for the food-manufacturing industry. The training
course was held after the seminar to provide basic
knowledge of the applications of GMP in production
sites. The seminar was attended by 74 participants
from food-manufacturing companies, relevant ministries,
and several universities. The training course was
attended by 19 participants from food-manufacturing
companies and one university.
Advanced Technology for Greenhouse Farming
Biotechnology and environmental control through
greenhouse farming are currently the two locomotives
in agricultural development. The Republic of Korea is
one APO member country that has been successful in
greenhouse farming.
A multicountry Observational Study Meeting on
Advanced Technology for Greenhouse Farming was
organized by the APO to learn from the achievements
of the Republic of Korea. It was implemented by
the KPC, 16–20 February, with 23 participants from
12 member countries in attendance. The mission
objectives were to: study the institutional and policy
arrangements for greenhouse farming in the host
country; learn about modern technologies and approaches
adopted in greenhouse farming; and observe
the state-of-the-art technologies for this type of
farming.
Program coverage: Considerations for greenhouse
establishment and management; Aerial and rootzone
environmental factors in greenhouse; Soilless
culturing systems for greenhouse crop production;
Environmental control methods and systems in greenhouses;
Insect and disease control in greenhouses;
and Greenhouse crop production and industry in
Korea: State of the art. Site visits were made to: the
Rural Development Administration in Suwon for
an overview of greenhouse farming practices; Dasol
Farm in Hwasung to observe greenhouse cultivation
of “the marvel of Peru”; Hwasung 21 to observe
greenhouse farming of paprika; Seje Orchid Farm to
observe Phalenopsis greenhouse growth; Horticulture
Research Institute in Dangjin; Korea-America Plug
Seed Production Co.; and Lee Farm’s cucumber and
tomato greenhouse.
Food Traceability Systems for Agro- and Foodprocessing
Industries
A traceability system is a recordkeeping system for
tracking the flow of products or product attributes
through the production process or supply chain.
Recently, food safety and quality are increasingly
becoming more important concerns in agriculture and
the food trade. Consumers are now more conscious of
the quality and safety of the food they buy. They are
also becoming more sensitive to production processes
and practices and demand greater quality and safety
assurances from agribusiness and food companies with
reliable information. Against this background, policymakers
and the agribusiness in many countries are
considering the introduction of traceability systems to
manage wide-ranging food-related issues.
Graphic illustrations of the traceability system of Kewpie
Corporation, Tokyo
The APO organized a multicountry observational
study mission on Food Traceability Systems for
Agro- and Food-processing Industries, 10–13 March,
in Japan to share recent developments in food
safety management with the emphasis on traceability
systems, examine current state-of-the-art technologies
and techniques in applying traceability systems, and
identify best practices for further promotion at SME
level in member countries. It gathered 15 participants
from 11 member countries and three resource
persons.
Program coverage: The state of traceability systems
in Japan; Guidelines for the introduction of food
traceability systems; and Case study of practices of
traceability. Site visits were made to Sengawa Plant,
Q.P. Co., Tokyo; Hanzawa Agricultural Cooperative,
Saitama prefecture; Ota Tokyo Metropolitan Central
Wholesale Market; Tokyo Seika, Tokyo; and two retail
supermarkets in Tokyo, Queen’s Isetan Kinshicho
and Ito Yokado Shin-kiba.
Planning and Management of Rural-based Agroprocessing
Enterprises
The agroprocessing industry, particularly SMEs,
promotes economic activities and rural development
as it increases rural employment opportunities
APO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 51
AGRICULTURE SECTOR