ASEAN GAP

Introduction
The 10 member countries of ASEAN have a commitment to increase the quality and marketability of their agricultural products including fresh fruit and vegetables. In order to do this, many member countries have started to introduce rigid on-farm based quality assurance schemes for farmers to follow. The 10 member countries share common farming practices, common weather patterns, common infrastructure. It makes sense to have a common standard to cover the requirements for Good Agricultural Practice for the ASEAN region. ASEAN GAP will be a harmonized standard suitable for all ASEAN countries and fits well within the ASEAN 2020 vision. It will serve as a tool for small to medium enterprises and governments to increase Intra ASEAN and Extra ASEAN trade. A common standard in this area will assist the integration of the ASEAN economic community by improving the quality of ASEAN produce.

Current situation
Some ASEAN member countries have recognised the need for a QA system and
some have commenced development of these:

• Malaysia has introduced a quality control system, the Farm Accreditation Scheme of Malaysia (SALM) QA system 

• The Philippines has a number of private companies involved in QA systems based on food safety and is in the process of implementing a Government backed system

• Singapore has a different approach in that it is concerned about the safety of produce coming into the country. It has developed a food safety QA system which it is currently implementing in Indonesia, a major supplier of produce to Singapore.

• Thailand has introduced a similar system, the Q system 

These Quality Assurance systems cover many aspects of Good Agricultural Practice requirements. These countries have expressed an interest in an ASEAN-wide QA system based on food safety requirements. The standards sought by these countries would be at least as high as the systems that are in place at the moment. A common ASEAN GAP is currently being prepared by these countries with assistance from two Australian experts as part of the AADCP Program Stream - Quality Assurance Systems for ASEAN Fruit and Vegetables Project.

ASEAN GAP development
The proposed ASEAN GAP will be designed to be suitable for all ASEAN member countries. A working group comprising of experts from Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand is in the process of designing a suitable ASEAN wide standard for Good Agricultural Practices. This standard will be based on current systems that have been shown to work well in ASEAN countries. The final product will be a generic ASEAN-GAP that considers regional and environmental factors such as climate, farming methods and social fabric. This generic GAP would be flexible and could apply to a number of situations and food crops. It would emphasise food safety issues particularly chemical usage and microbial contamination issues.

ASEAN GAP Standard
ASEAN GAP Interpretive Guide - Food Safety Module - Draft
ASEAN GAP Interpretive Guide - Environment Management Module - Draft
ASEAN GAP Interpretive Guide - Workers Health, Safety & Welfare Module - Draft
ASEAN GAP Interpretive Guide - Produce Quality Module - Draft
ASEAN GAP Promotional Poster