And now, the ASEAN Golden Agrow Awardees are…

Our ASEAN chairmanship last year really opened new opportunities for us to launch several programs and events with the vision that all Filipinos, as well as the ASEAN member states, will achieve inclusive prosperity. With all our successful programs, I would like to focus now on the ASEAN Agriculture Summit 2018.

SL Agritech Corporation (Philippines): SL Agritech is a private company engaged in the research, development, production and distribution of hybrid rice seeds and premium-quality rice. Apart from it being ISO-certified, it is also the largest local hybrid rice seed company in the Philippines and a market leader in premium quality rice.

Swift Co., Ltd. (Thailand): Swift has been in operation since 1986, exporting fresh produce to the world market. It is the company’s mission to supply only premium-quality fruit and vegetables with the highest standard of food safety to multiple grocery chains in high-end markets Japan and Europe. They also provide a high standard of farming practices that provide consistency in product quality and food safety.

The ASEAN Agriculture Summit highlights the importance of agriculture as it was labeled the most challenged sector in the Philippines and other countries. Also, a huge percentage of MSMEs comes from this sector. I have recognized and highlighted the importance of agriculture and our farmers in fostering the Philippine economy.

Myanmar Awba Group Co., Ltd. (Myanmar): Myanmar Awba is one of the key players in Myanmar’s agricultural sector. The core business of the group involved importing, manufacturing and distribution of fertilizers, seeds and agrochemicals. The company is assisting farmers all over the country to enhance yield with sensible costs and maximizing the income of the farmers by providing technical knowhow and modern agricultural practices.

ITA Fragrant Rice Research and Export Corporation (Vietnam): ITA is one of the Vietnamese pioneer businesses in producing organic rice with the motto of “organic rice for good life.” Despite traditional
farming methods in Vietnam, ITA has developed its rice cultivation method in accordance with Global Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards. It is a big step in improving value-chain production and maintaining organic rice production.

This year, we launched the first AGROW Awards, which recognizes institutions that have been successful in modernizing and developing the Philippine and ASEAN agriculture landscape.

Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad (Malaysia): KL Kepong Berhad started as a plantation company over 100 years ago; oil palm and rubber plantations still lead as KLK’s core business activity. KLK is committed to creating sustainable stakeholder values by integrating environmental and societal concerns into its business strategies and performance.

Burapha Agroforestry Co., Ltd. (Laos): Burapha is an agroforestry and wood-processing company. It was established in Lao PDR in 1993 and is one of the oldest private companies in Lao PDR. As part of its current operations, it undertakes development initiatives in partnership with local communities, which support the development of alternative and improvement of existing livelihoods.

The AGROW Awards also commends institutions that have provided exemplary services, inspiration and individuals who have demonstrated significant success through leadership, company performance and passion.

AMRU Rice (Cambodia): AMRU has been a provider of high-quality Cambodian rice since 2009. They focus on quality control, environmental awareness, and customer service. They also provide financing to Cambodian rice farmers and have established production and exporting processes to facilitate rice distribution to the world’s population.

GarudaFood (Indonesia): Garudafood has a national distribution network managed by speed in simplicity (SNS), a subsidiary of the company, with a distribution network covering more than 120 SNS depots, 136 SNS partners and 223 SNS partners spread throughout Indonesia.

I am proud to announce the winners of the first Golden AGROW Awards. They will be awarded today at the ASEAN Agriculture Summit 2018 at the SMX Convention Center Manila.

Olam International Ltd. (Singapore): Established in 1989, Olam is a leading global agri-business operating from seed to shelf, supplying food and industrial raw materials to over 22,000 customers. As part of the company’s purpose to “Re-imagine Global Agriculture,” they have launched Olam AtSource, a purpose-led platform to drive the purchase and delivery of more sustainable agricultural products and ingredients.