A meeting was held between the Central Group, ADB, and the Consultant on 23 September 2021 for exploring avenues for collaboration in the TA. The meeting was held online through the Zoom platform owing to CoVID–19 restrictions.
Team leader Dr. Nathsuda Pumijumnong presented a brief overview of the TA objectives, outputs, and scope of activities. Ms. Darawan Sriratprapas and Ms. Kundaboon Kaittiboon of the Central Group introduced their initiatives related to supporting farmers and organic products.
The Central Group has integrated supporting organic farming and products into its policies and was also voted by the Embassy of France as a Geographic Indication (GI) ambassador. GI has been proven to be an effective way of protecting and adding value to unique products.
The Central Group has been working with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the National Science and Technology Development agency (NSTDA) to develop organic farming and promote organic products. They are also currently assisting farmers in Na Noi district to get local pumpkin registered as a GI product and fig registered as an organic product.
The Central Group has also built a pumpkin processing factory in Na Noi which complied with FDA standards. It also supports the communities to transform pumpkin production to zero waste system by using residues from pumpkin products as feed for egg-laying chicken. The farmers can also receive additional income from selling eggs.
The representatives of the Central Group in the meeting exhibited a positive stance towards supporting the TA implementation and sharing their knowledge and experience. They stated the importance of developing new markets and also urged the TA to consider the needs of the local communities when implementing its activities.
