On 23 July 2025 the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), through its Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (CSAM), signed a Memorandum of Agreement alongside the CIAME Asia 2025 -Thailand International Agricultural Machinery Exhibition in Bangkok.

The Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Thailand and Permanent Representative to ESCAP, Her Excellency E.A.S. Wijayanthi Edirisinghe, witnessed the signing of the agreement by the Director General of SLSI, Dr. Siddhika G. Senaratne, on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, and the Director of the Strategy and Programme Management Division, Mr. Adnan Aliani, on behalf of ESCAP.

The event is linked to CSAM’s initiative titled Asian and Pacific Network for Testing of Agricultural Machinery (ANTAM), which aims at harmonizing testing codes for agricultural machinery in the region with the goal of facilitating trade, access to and affordability of safe, efficient, and environmentally sound agricultural machinery in support of smallholder farmers and overall food security. Through this agreement, the first of its kind, Sri Lanka will adopt the regionally harmonized ANTAM test codes and their updates as they become available.

Her Excellency Ambassador Wijayanthi Edirisinghe commended ESCAP-CSAM’s leadership and SLSI’s proactive engagement. She emphasized the critical role of partnerships in advancing food security, agricultural productivity, and rural livelihoods. “This agreement reflects Sri Lanka’s strong commitment to sustainable agriculture and regional cooperation. As Ambassador and Permanent Representative to ESCAP, I am proud to witness this milestone and reaffirm our continued support for impactful initiatives aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she stated.

Alongside the signing ceremony, a dedicated panel discussion was convened to introduce ANTAM, engage regional manufacturers and suppliers, and gather insights on how the initiative can best serve stakeholders across the agricultural machinery value chain. The Vice President of the Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers and Suppliers Association of Sri Lanka (AgMMA), Mr. Chaminda Sanjaya Kumara Nishankage, and the President of the Thai Society of Agricultural Engineering, Ms. Dares Kittyopas, joined the panel highlighting the role and engagement of the private sector in the ANTAM initiative.

Having actively participated in the 2023 and 2024 policy dialogues on the establishment of a mutual recognition system under ANTAM, SLSI’s decision to institutionalize these test codes positions Sri Lanka as a key contributor to harmonized regional standards in agricultural mechanization. By institutionalizing the ANTAM test codes, the Government of Sri Lanka aims to enhance the safety, quality, and efficiency of agricultural machinery in the country and support its broader agenda for agricultural modernization, digital transformation, and environmental sustainability, ultimately benefiting farmers through improved machinery performance, trade facilitation, and safer working conditions.

Thanks to the engagement of the Sri Lanka Standards Institution, CSAM is bringing the results of the ANTAM technical collaboration to the policy level, with the aim of contribution to Sri Lanka and the other participating countries’ agricultural machinery governance by offering technical support and knowledge sharing opportunities through its collaborative platforms.