Greater Mekong Subregion Working Group on Agriculture Workshop on Agricultural Investment & Cooperation in the GMS: Challenges and Opportunities for Agribusiness Joint Ventures and Cooperative Activities in the Greater Mekong Subregion

Abstract

It is inevitable that the expansion of trade and investment in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) will have significant impacts on the social, economic, and environmental landscape of the region. Spurred on by globalisation and the dynamics of economic growth generated by export-oriented industrial expansion,1 the GMS countries2 can expect to experience mounting pressure — both external and internal — to accelerate trade liberalization and economic integration. In response, as a first step, and simultaneously in an effort to provide access to what have long been the most remote areas of the GMS, significant public investment has been made in infrastructure, with more being planned. To encourage sustainable development of human and natural resources and to maximize economic opportunities, GMS governments are expanding and upgrading transport and telecommunications infrastructure. This investment will strengthen intra-regional links, provide increased market access, and create new employment and income generating opportunities in the poorest regions of GMS member countries.