From 1 to 3 April 2024, the second Policy Dialogue on Trade Facilitation through International Standards and Mutual Recognition of Agricultural Machinery Testing was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, as an associated event of the eleventh Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum. The event gathered policymakers from Ministries and institutions in charge of trade, standards, conformity and accreditation in countries participating in the Asian and Pacific Network for Testing of Agricultural Machinery (ANTAM) to discuss the role of international standards and mutual recognition systems for the facilitation of trade of agricultural machinery, and endorsed roadmap for identifying priorities and developing a draft mutual recognition system for testing of agricultural machinery. ANTAM is an initiative that aims to harmonize testing standards and requirements for agricultural machinery in the Asia-Pacific region, with CSAM acting as its secretariat. This has the ultimate goal of facilitating trade of quality, safe, efficient and environmentally sound agricultural machinery to make available and affordable to smallholder farmers in the region. 

The Policy Dialogue was opened by Mr. Alpisbay Tolibaev, Head of the Center for Certification and Testing of Agricultural Machinery and Technology of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan joined ANTAM as twentieth member only in December 2023, and expressed its strong commitment to pursue the objectives of the initiative. Following an overview of ANTAM, representatives from OECD and the European Network for Testing of Agricultural Machinery (ENTAM) presented their best practices in fostering harmonization of agricultural machinery testing, with country representatives also sharing their experience in the participation of relevant initiatives in ASEAN, EEC, and SAARC.

On the second day of the event, Mr. Anton Shalaev, CEO of the Federal Agency of the Russia Federation on Technical Regulating and Metrology (Rosstandart), opened a round of discussions where delegates shared their countries’ activities and processes in relation to international standards, and discussed challenges and way forward in adopting or participating in a mutual recognition system for ANTAM. During the final day of the Policy Dialogue, delegates reviewed and provided inputs to a draft feasibility study on the establishment of an ANTAM mutual recognition system, and held a round of discussions to endorse a roadmap for the ANTAM mutual recognition system as well as the terms of reference for an Expert Group to be created for the roadmap implementation.