The National Assembly (NA) on April 1 unanimously passed a draft law on phytosanitation and the protection of plants at the seventh session of its sixth mandate.

Comprising 15 chapters and 113 articles, the draft law was presented to the session by Loy Sophat, chairman of the NA’s Commission on Planning, Investment, Agriculture, Rural Development, Environment, and Water Resources, after review by his commission. All 92 NA members voted in favour of the bill.

Passed by the Council of Ministers in early February, the draft law was designed to create a set of legal standards in the agricultural sector to increase productivity and diversification of agriculture and agribusiness.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon, who had initiated the law, defended the draft during the session. He said his ministry had been motivated to initiate the draft law by the necessity of establishing certain legal standards.

Sakhon said that once promulgated, this law would be another accomplishment towards building the legal tools needed to develop the agriculture sector – as stated in the government’s Rectangular Strategies Phase IV to increase productivity, diversification and commercialisation of agriculture, in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0.

“This draft law has been prepared thoroughly, and in detail, based on the progress of the country, both in terms of its economy and its society. It is in line with the International Plant Protection Convention that was established in 1952, and is our duty as a member of the World Trade Organisation.

“It also means we will comply with the phytosanitation requirements of many of our major import and export markets,” he added.