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AMBASSADOR PONCE WELCOMES AGRICULTURAL TRADE VISIT OF ASEAN BUSINESS ADVISORY COUNCIL PHILIPPINES
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 27 April 2024 - Ambassador Maria Angela A. Ponce welcomed the visit of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines (ASEAN-BAC PH), headed by Mr. Joey Concepcion III, and hailed their initiative to establish strategic partnerships, exchange technology and best practices, and enhance market access and agricultural ventures between Philippines and Malaysian companies.
ASEAN-BAC Philippines Chairperson Concepcion led a high-level business delegation to a three-day agricultural trade visit to Malaysia from April 22 to 24, 2024. The visit came about as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed last year between ASEAN-BAC Philippines and ASEAN-BAC Malaysia during President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s State Visit to Malaysia on July 27, 2023.
They were welcomed and hosted by the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture, led by Deputy Secretary for Policy Datuk Azah Hanim Binti Ahmad, ASEAN-BAC Malaysia, led by Chair Tan Sri Nazir Razak and Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Chair of ASEAN-BAC Malaysia’s B2B Connect Initiative.
ASEAN-BAC Malaysia arranged site visits for the Philippine delegation to KLK Berhad, an oil palm plantation and refinery; Aerodyne, Malaysia’s biggest drone-based agriculture service provider; Sime Darby Plantation Academy, the training arm of the world’s largest producer of sustainable palm oil; and Farm Fresh, Malaysia’s largest homegrown dairy company. The Embassy’s Commercial Counsellor, Ms. Norjamin Delos Reyes, accompanied the delegation and facilitated their visit.
At the closing dinner hosted by ASEAN-BAC Philippines, ASEAN-BAC Chair Concepcion highlighted his initiative for an ASEAN food security alliance under ABAC and stressed the importance of cooperative relationships across public and private sectors.
Ambassador Ponce welcomed this, noting that agriculture and food security is one of the priorities of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. for cooperation with Malaysia and in ASEAN. She also stressed the timeliness of the visit, as 2024 is the 60 th Anniversary of Philippines-Malaysia bilateral relations. She expressed her confidence that the experiences and networks gained during the visit would strengthen ties between the two nations and pave the way for future collaborations and partnerships in the agricultural sector.
The delegation included Mr. Michael Tan, President and COO of LT Group Inc., Mr. Winston Uy, President of Universal Leaf, Mr. Jojo Joson, Country Head of Kennemer Foods International, Mr. Christian Eyde Moeller, CEO & Co-Founder of Lionhearts Farms, Mr. Thomas Eyde Moeller, Senior Manager of Lionhearts Farms, Mr. Carl Benedick Chung, Senior VP for Operations of Bounty Fresh Food Inc., Ms. Rowena Sadicon, President of Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement (PRISM), Mr. James Amparo, CEO, Yovel East Agriventures, Eng. Robert Dela Cruz, Manager from Yovel East Agriventures, Ms. Nelben Moreno, Business Development Manager of I’mpact Food System, Mr. Ben Mead, CEO of Iba Botanicals, Mr. Paul Tolentino, Senior VP for ASEAN Operations of BioPrime, Mr. Enrique Oliver Rey-Matias, Chief Finance Officer of RFM, Mr. Felcaster Torres, President and General Manager of YTMI Realty Corp. and Highly Succeed Inc., Ms. Maricar Malaki, CEO, and Ms. Maria Criselfa Ragudo, COO.
The visit also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the agarwood industry between Iba Botanicals, a Philippine company and Synbion, a Malaysian company. -END-
For more information, please contact:
Embassy of the Philippines (Attention: Information Section)
1 Jalan Changkat Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur 50450 Malaysia
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Tel No. +603 2148 4233
Fax No. +603 2148 3576
