Following the accession of Timor-Leste to ASEAN in October 2025, the Project has taken steps to strengthen cooperation with the country’s agriculture and food sectors by working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry of Timor-Leste and establishing partnerships with leading universities. As part of these efforts, the Project successfully organised its first Seminar in Partnership with Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL) on 25 August 2026, focusing on “Strengthening Food Safety Management Principles and Standards to Support Food Value Chain Development in Timor-Leste.” The seminar brought together 126 participants, including 56 students and 33 lecturers and staff from various academic backgrounds at UNTL, as well as 37 representatives from government institutions and private-sector entities. Four experts from Japanese private companies and foundations shared their knowledge and practical experience, providing participants with insights into approaches to strengthening food safety and developing sustainable food value chains.
The seminar addressed key topics including food safety management, cold-chain and freezing technologies, food packaging, and traceability. Through expert presentations and practical examples, participants explored how appropriate technologies, standards, and management practices can contribute to improving food safety and strengthening the efficiency and sustainability of food value chains. The knowledge and practical examples shared during the programme, together with the seminar materials, are expected to support future teaching, research, capacity-building activities, and engagement with the agriculture and food sectors at UNTL and beyond. In this way, the seminar provided not only an opportunity for knowledge exchange but also a foundation for continued collaboration and capacity development in Timor-Leste.
Ahead of this seminar, on 24 August, to complement the seminar discussions with a better understanding of the local context, the Project team, together with the invited experts and a representative of the Japan Mission to ASEAN, visited several key government institutions, organisations, and businesses, including the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry, Cooperativa Café Timor (CCT) – The National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA), Gracia Egg Farming, and Timor Global Coffee. The visits offered first-hand insights into the opportunities and challenges facing Timor-Leste’s food and agriculture sectors, while providing valuable opportunities to exchange views with local stakeholders. They also contributed to strengthening connections between Japan and Timor-Leste and identifying potential areas for future cooperation in food and agriculture. Together, the seminar and field visits marked an important first step towards deeper collaboration and knowledge exchange to support the development of Timor-Leste’s food value chains.
