YANGON, Sept. 25 -- ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and South Korea) countries have agreed on joint approach in an agriculture and forest products promotion scheme for 2015-19, an official statement said Thursday.

According to a joint press statement of the 14th meeting of ASEAN+3 Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry, a total of 6,730 tons of rice were stockpiled under the ASEAN+3 Emergency Rice Reserve Agreement, of which 6,150 tons have been distributed to the Philippines to help typhoon Haiyan victims.

ASEAN agriculture ministers also encouraged Japan to expand its establishment of Food Value Chain in some ASEAN member states through public-private partnership cooperation to a regional level.

ASEAN+3 countries also reaffirmed the ASEAN+3 cooperation on food, agriculture and forestry as one of the main vehicles towards the long-term goal of building an East Asian community with ASEAN as the driving force and encouraged the plus three countries to continue supporting the implementation of the roadmap for an ASEAN Community 2009-2015 and contribute to the ASEAN Community Post- 2015 Vision.

As chair of the meeting, Myanmar's Agriculture and Irrigation Minister U Myint Hlaing stressed the need for ASEAN+3 countries to closely supervise the various ongoing activities under the ASEAN+3 Cooperation Strategy Framework, urging the ASEAN+3 countries to closely cooperate with each other to tackle the challenges posed by natural and man-made disasters and the challenges by climate change and to achieve the sustainability of natural resources.

During a meeting with Myanmar President U Thein Sein on the sidelines of the meeting Wednesday, Chinese Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu emphasized technical exchange for production of quality strains and cooperation in prevention of deforestation in Myanmar's northernmost Kachin state.

ASEAN+3 countries are implementing activities especially in the areas of food security and bio-energy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable forest management, agricultural research and development, control and eradication of trans- boundary pest and animal diseases and human resources development.