The Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy or ACMECS is a cooperation framework among Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam to utilize member countries’ diverse strengths and to promote balanced development in the subregion. This economic cooperation strategy has been established in 1991, but officially started operating in 1994. In 2003, the government of Thailand assigned the policy to the relevant agencies to formulate the economic cooperation strategy (ECS) of the four countries, namely the Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Thailand.

 

    The ECS has led to the signing of the Bagan Declaration which endorsed an action plan covering five areas of cooperation: trade facilitation, investment, agriculture and industry, the linkage of transportation, tourism as well as human resource development. Subsequently, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam became a member in 2004, increasing the member countries to five. In August 2005, at the ministerial meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the participants approved public health as the sixth area of cooperation under ACMECS and agreed to change the name from the Economic Cooperation Strategy (ECS) to the Ayeyawady – Chao Phraya – Mekong Economic Coopaton Strategy (ACMECS)

     Currently, the ACMECS project comprises eight areas of cooperation: trade and investment facilitation, agricultural cooperation, industry and energy cooperation, the linkage of transportation, tourism cooperation, human resource development, public health and environmental cooperation. In Thailand, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) is the main agency responsible for agricultural cooperation, aiming at increasing agricultural productivity, research and development cooperation, sharing knowledge and experiences. The Land Development Department (LDD) has taken responsible for transferring land development knowledge and technology since 2004. It provides training on land surveying, classification and mapping, land suitability assessment and land use planning, soil and land improvement, volunteer soil doctors and its network, establishment of learning resources and transferring technology on soil resources, etc.

     Subsequently, the 6th ACMECS Summit in Nay Pyi Taw, Union of Myanmar, on 15 March 2015, agreed to formulate the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy in Agriculture Cooperation (Nay Pyi Daw Declaration 2015) and agreed to cooperate in the following five principles:

1. Implement the ACMECS Rice Cooperation Mechanism to promote the development of rice sector among ACMECS countries.
2. Promote cooperation between ACMECS countries and partners to promote rice production and ensure food security.
3. Strengthen cooperation in technology transfer and information sharing in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, livestock and veterinary and aquaculture to ensure food security and promote the livelihood of farmers in ACMECS countries
4. Enhance technical cooperation to facilitate the Zero Hunger Program in ACMECS countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
5. Support bilateral and multilateral contract farming operations as an effective mechanism for ensuring food security among ACMECS countries