6 − ASIAN SEED THASTA Appoints 2018–2020 Board The Thai Seed Trade Association (THASTA) held its annual General Assembly Meeting at the Rajpruek Club in Bangkok on 5 March. The meeting coincided with a cheerful gala dinner, which followed the association’s annual fundraising golf tourna- ment, held earlier in the day at the same venue. At the GAM, the asso- ciation reviewed annual finances, projects and plans before formally announcing appoint- ments for its 18-member Executive Committee (EC), including the re-appointment of its president, Dr. Chairerg Sagwansupyakorn. The EC members, whose appointments were confirmed in a meeting last week, will serve as the association’s man- agement board through to 2020. Addressing the GAM at its closing, Dr. Chairerg offered some inspira- tional words. “Seed associations need members more than members need associations. We want and need you as our member. As seed traders, it is pertinent that we remain loyal to our work and cus- tomers. You can only fool somebody once. If what you sell and tell to them turns out to be something different, this will not only only reflect badly on you, but will have consequences for the entire industry. If we can’t have reliability and trust in the industry, then we have nothing.” สมาคมการค้าเมล็ดพันธุ์ไทย (ส.ก.ม.ท.) THAI SEED TRADE ASSOCIATION (THASTA) อาคารสถาบันค้นคว้าและพัฒนาผลิตภัณฑ์อาหาร ม.เกษตรศาสตร์ ชั้น 7 ห้อง 732 เลขที่ 50 ถนนพหลโยธิน แขวงลาดยาว เขตจตุจักร กรุงเทพฯ 10900 โทร. 0-2955-1710-1 โทรสาร 0-2955-1712 Executive Committee Name Position President committee committee committee committee committee committee committee committee committee committee committee committee committee committee committee committee Advisor 1. Dr. Chairerg Sagwansupyakorn 2. Mr. Manas Chiaravanond 3. Mr. Pachok Pongpanich 4. Ms. Vanida Angsuphan 5. Mr. Sumeth Pinyosanit 6. Dr. Boonyanath Nathwong 7. Mr. Boonme Okman 8. Mrs. Suvannee Prathuangsit 9. Mr. Wichai Laocharoenpornkul 10. Mr. Chaowalit Tangariyakul 11. Mr. Sathin Kunawasen 12. Mrs. Tapanee Attamangkune 13. Mr. Ko Tung-Yuen 14. Mr. Aek Marutaralert 15. Mr. Montri Chunthawoodtiporn 16. Mr. Chakree Klubdee 17. Mr. Pichit Setthakeeretikun 18. Pinoeer Rep Mr. Vinich Chuanchai Mr. Sakorn Tripetchpisal Advisor THAI SMILE: Dr. Chairerg Sagwansupyakorn, a past-president of APSA, will continue as THASTA President through to 2020. Myanmar Agri Network Holds Maiden GAM The Myanmar Agricul- ture Network (MAN) successfully organized its first General Annual Meeting on 16 March, which brought together key stakeholders of the country's budding seed and agriculture sectors. These included seed producers, traders, and reps from various local and international organ- izations, including APSA and the Vegetable Sector Acceleration Taskforce (VSAT), which was recently appointed lead partner in MAN's Horti- cultural Group. The GAM was presided over by Dr. Tin Htut, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agricul- ture's Livestock and Irrigation Department. U Hla Maw Oo, Director General of the Ministry of Commerce Consum- er Affairs Department, also attended, as did reps from the Nether- lands Embassy. In all, about 180 active participants attended. MAN, an initiative of Grow Asia, is divided into various working groups. APSA is a key partner of its Seed Group. MAN aims to become Myanmar's leading agriculture network and marketplace for public-private partner- ship and value-chain initiatives, thereby The GAM was attended by agriculture stakeholders from local and international organizations. "empowering small- holders and boosting farm productivity in an environmentally-sus- tainable way," accord- ing to MAN Country Director Aung Lwin.