US-ASEAN Business Council Strengthens Its Engagement with ASEAN Agricultural Ministers during the 45th AMAF in Kuala Lumpur

(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) – From October 2-5, the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) organized a delegation comprising six prominent U.S. food and agriculture companies for a series of meetings with key agricultural officials during the 45th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in Kuala Lumpur. During this mission, the US-ABC delegates emphasized the significance of food security, food safety, and sustainable agriculture solutions as crucial focus areas for U.S. agricultural businesses throughout ASEAN. 

Throughout the busy week, the delegation participated in both the Preparatory Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the 45th AMAF, followed by the Plenary Session of the 45th AMAF, while also holding bilateral meetings with heads of delegation from Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Deputy Secretary General, ASEAN Secretariat on the sidelines of the 45th AMAF.

This mission, led by the Council's Senior Vice President & Regional Managing Director, Ambassador (ret.) Brian McFeeters, marked both the first business mission he led and the US-ASEAN Business Council's ninth consecutive mission to AMAF, underscoring the significance of regional agricultural prosperity and food security for the Council's member companies.

"The Council and its members stand ready to assist agriculture ministries across ASEAN in achieving their key priorities on the implementation of ASEAN's sustainable agriculture guidelines, and we are excited to see the fruition of concrete partnerships and collaborations stemming from these series of engagements," said Ambassador Brian McFeeters. "The business mission offered four specific areas for increased cooperation in the near term, including providing solutions to foster decarbonization, reducing reliance on Highly Hazardous Pesticides, enabling the One Health effort, and accelerating the adoption of new technologies."

The Council's Food & Agriculture Committee Chair, Elanco Animal Health, and Committee Vice Chair, Cargill, co-led the delegation. The other delegates included Corteva, Bayer, Illumina, and the U.S. Dairy Export Council.