The Technical Working Groups (TWGs) Asian and Pacific Network for Testing of Agricultural Machinery (ANTAM) met online in virtual modality on 14-16 December 2020. The TWGs reviewed proposed amendments to the ANTAM Codes on Power Tillers, Paddy Transplanters, and Sprayers. ANTAM testing codes draw upon major international standards and are developed by a pool of regional experts. They represent a joint regional effort involving representatives from the government, research and testing institutes, private sector and manufacturers, and have been recognized as leading practices in South-South cooperation in the UN system.

The Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (CSAM) of ESCAP, in its role of ANTAM secretariat, received two inputs for the revision of the Codes in 2019, and participating countries were asked to update them in 2020 in line with the decision of the 5th Annual Meeting to update of the Codes at least evert two. A total of three participating countries updated their requests for amendment or submitted new ones. Due to the difficulty of receiving formal nominations of TWG members amid the 2020 pandemic outbreak, the secretariat convened meetings of the TWGs informally, following their 2019 composition, and also inviting Bhutan to be represented as a new ANTAM member. The meetings undertook an initial review of the proposed amendments to the Codes, which will be continued in 2021.