The sixth session of the UNAPCAEM Technical Committee (TC) was held on 2 December in Putrajaya, Malaysia.  This year’s session was preceded by two-day facilitated strategic planning workshop, “Developing and Inclusive Strategic Plan for UNAPCAEM”, implemented on 29-30 November.  Both the workshop and the TC session were hosted by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, MARDI.

On 1 December participants visited MAHA 2010, the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro-tourism Exhibition hosted by the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture and organized by the Malaysian Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA).  This year’s theme, "Agricultural innovation for Growth", highlighted innovative agriculture and agro-based industries and gathered the latest technologies in related agro-industries throughout the region.

In his opening remarks at the strategic planning workshop, Mr. LeRoy Hollenbeck, UNAPCAEM’s Director, noted that through an inclusive process, participants would generate a strategic plan, which would assist UNAPCAEM in repositioning itself as a reliable knowledge hub in the Asia-Pacific region promoting innovative, affordable agricultural technologies and agri-business development through capacity building interventions that will reduce poverty, achieve food security and empower women and other disadvantaged groups in member states throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

The strategic planning workshop brought together 22 participants from 16 countries representing senior researchers, both former and current UNAPCAEM TC members, as well as outside professionals.

At the TC meeting, participants reviewed the Centre’s work report for 2010, including its financial status, and discussed the work plan for 2011 and the outcomes from the strategic planning workshop.  Discussions also centered on the recently concluded UNAPCAEM study report on the status of agricultural mechanization and proposed next steps in the development of an Asian and Pacific Network for Testing of Agricultural Machinery (ANTAM).

Participants proposed the seventh session of the UNAPCAEM Technical Committee be held in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2011.